


Broken Mirrors

by Just a Hollowed Writer (Just_a_Shiny_Eevee), Just_a_Shiny_Eevee



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: ...I hope, Abuse, Bees are soft, Bees! - Freeform, Chapter's take a while. Sorry 'bout the wait, Character Death, Cut me some slack!, Developing Relationship, Don't know how long this will be but eh?, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Gen, Hey look! The village!, Hurt/Comfort, It's a story about ocs guys, Mental Abuse, More tags to be added, Multiple Point of Views, Physical Abuse, THE CITYYYYYYYYYY, They get better I swear!, Very... Very bad stuff happens later on, first fic, longfic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-02-23 06:30:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 65,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23273755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Just_a_Shiny_Eevee/pseuds/Just%20a%20Hollowed%20Writer, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Just_a_Shiny_Eevee/pseuds/Just_a_Shiny_Eevee
Summary: Two bugs, both on opposite ends of Hallownest, break the odds. How they met shouldn't have happened. How they escaped was a mystery on its own. How they fell for each other is a miracle.Broken, shattered glass litters the landscape. Most would avoid it due to its sharpness. They would lose the valuable substance they need to survive. Often, they would replace it. Ignore the shattered remains of their mistake for a better, more intact piece of glass.A few however. Choose to fix it.
Relationships: OC/OC, Oc&OC
Comments: 5
Kudos: 8





	1. The Village

**Author's Note:**

> "Most will replace it. Some will repair it."
> 
> Welcome to Broken Mirrors! This is the first fic I'm really creating. I don't know how long it will be, but I do know it's gonna be pretty large. Call me Shiny if you will.
> 
> Just want to say this right off the bat, I will finish this story, updates will be pretty sparse and sporadic. But I will get to an ending, bear with me here.
> 
> With that out of the way, enjoy the first chapter of Broken Mirrors!

Mushrooms. That was what the floor was made out of! Well… Mostly. At least, the parts that were not covered by the solid brown boring material that is used everywhere to make living spaces. Most bugs called it “wood.” Ugh, it was such a boring name! Think about it! Why would you ever call something wood!? It’s bland! There was no taste to it! There was nothing unique about it whatsoever!

He knew what he was doing. After what he just did, the best he could do right now was temporally distract himself for the time being. The mushrooms covered his eyesight, all he could see was the ever falling black. The darkness crept through his eyes and bore into his mind. Tricking it into thinking he was falling, falling into the ever black. Falling into nothingness. With no way of getting back up. No way of recovering. No way of-

There were a few spots of light here and there, but that was beside the point! The main thing was that it was black! And- and that was all that mattered!

“Hey! You gonna get back up or what!?” Their tone was sharp, a low scratch in a way. They spoke like a gangster, someone who could not let go of the times. The way they spoke helped them with words. Specifically in making them stick. Basically, they could make bugs do things by using words alone. It was just the way they sounded! It was menacing! It was mean! It was scary! It definitely worked on a lot of bugs. And it definitely worked on him.

He popped right up. No weakness in anything. He just shoved his hands down on the mushrooms and pushed himself up until he was standing like a big boy. Of course, he forgot the thing he was holding. It was still left on the ground from where he dropped it. Er- left it. Yeah, there we go.

“Great. You can stand on your own two feet. I’m so proud of you. Go pick up those lances and carry them already, you disgusting piece of beetle’s dung.”

“Uhh, y- yes! Ri- right away sir!” And with that, the gangster bug trotted off. They stood tall, taller than him at least. Their green tail was darker than the rest of the bugs. He guessed it was because of how the bug trained. He did hear a rumor a while ago that the more you train your body, the darker your green tail becomes. That, or it was just abused and hurt a lot. That was also a possibility. He didn’t think it was the case here though. The gangster bug walked around like they were a big shot, and they were! They stood tall, they had strong muscles, their tail was darker than a lot of the bugs, they were good at bossing other bugs around.

Their green horns were more clouded than the rest of the bugs. From the bottom to the top, they were a shade of dark green that changed to light green. In short, this bug could boss around anyone and not get a single complaint. They were also a huge hit with the ladies. Like… Oh, my Wyrm. Everywhere they went the girls would always hit them up. Telling them things, feeling their muscles and blade.

Oh yeah! They had a blade as well! Well… More like claws. Large… Spiky… Claws… Yeah, they weren’t scary at all! Totally! They also were very, very sharp- to cut fruit! Yeah! They used it as a tool rather than a weapon, since why would they waste Geo on useless tools when they could just use their claws? Sure, it could bend the claws a little. Thus, they would no longer be sharp and they would be blunt. Eventually, due to not enough care of said claws, they will fall off! Of course, that’s just an old bug’s tale. But it still scared him nonetheless.

Those claws were sharp! He had watched the gangster bug train and he’d watched them get into a few skirmishes before. Those claws could slice through anything! He had no idea what to do if he ever got in a fight with them. Wait, they had a name. Of course, they had a name! Every bug has a name! What was their name again…? Raziel! Of course! That’s their name! It’s infamous in the mantis community! Well… At least in this part of the village.

The bug that had been pushed on the ground gave Raziel a final look. A shiver went down his spine. Something was off about that mantis, there was just some weird vibe they gave off. Something was wrong with them, yet he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

That wasn’t important though. He was running late! He needed to pick up the lances and deliver them to the training grounds! They weren’t like the regular weapons they always used. These were larger and bulkier. They were also heavier and he was forced to carry seven of them! Of course he was! He didn’t have that much strength to begin with! He was pretty weak compared to the other mantises. And by weak, he couldn’t lift anything. He could barely walk a few feet before stopping to catch a breath! The lances were too heavy for his poor body! Maybe it had to do with the fact that he didn’t have claws? The other mantises kept saying over and over that he was so weak because he wasn’t born with claws, but hands instead. Therefore, he had been immediately kicked out of training school and many, many other places. After all, who would want to deal with a freak like him? He didn’t have claws for crying out loud! He was a disgrace to the mantis community! Honestly, he should just leave whenever he managed to get the chance to.

But it was tasks like these that kept him here, as there were things he could do to help out without bothering anyone. Well, it was more like the other way around. Many other mantises bothered HIM instead. He deserved it anyway, he didn’t have those sharp, clean, shiny claws like the rest of the males do. Anyways, that’s not what he should be thinking about right now. Now he needs to take the lances to the training grounds. As the mantis was bending over, a thought sprung to his head. Why was he taking these there anyways? Didn’t all mantises have claws? The only ones that didn’t were the Lords, and they were special! They earned that rank due to beating all other mantises in record time.

Why couldn’t he do that? Oh yeah… He was as weak as anything. The young green bug bent down and wrapped his hands around the cluster of lances, grabbing a sharp hold of all of them before carefully securing them in his hands and lifting them off of the ground. The lances killed his back. He felt cracks in multiple places as the weight of the lances bore down on his body. There was also something else on his back, a burn? Eh, he shrugged it off. It would go away soon. Besides, this was good work for him! He needed muscles!

The mantis turned around and started walking. Or well… The best he could do. The lances were simply too heavy for him! The weight was too much on his frail body, yet he trucked on. Step by step, mushroom by mushroom. His hands started getting swollen, his back burned with such an intensity he swore it was one fire. His arms stung like they were just hit with a nail infused with pale ore. One day they were gonna pop out of their sockets.

Eventually, eventually. He had committed himself to the long trek and had finally finished. By the end of it, his legs were sore as anything. His back ached and his arms swelled. He was NOT used to this at all. Perhaps this was the way of the mantis higher-ups to help him build muscle? If so, it was definitely failing. The young mantis knew overworking the body until it collapsed was a horrible way to do it. Honestly, he was just glad to be done with this whole thing. He could finally set down the lances and rest his aching legs.

Once he was there, he thought it was a good idea to rest for a bit before heading in since the trek had been bad enough already. The struggling mantis spotted a bench not too far away from the training facility. He could stop and rest, thank Wyrm. Upon seeing the small bench the struggling mantis slowly turned to face the seat. Now facing the right direction, they trucked over to it, taking one step at a time. Each step, each movement felt like a marathon. Barely moving his foot felt like running two miles. It burned. His legs burned with the pain of fire. It felt like he was literally roasting his legs in a beautiful blaze of red.

About halfway there his arms began to sting, as they had been carrying the heavy lances the entire way. The weight tore throughout his fragile arms, making them shake and quiver with exhaustion. The mantis didn’t know why he was in such pain. He had only walked the entire village, struggling each way. He shouldn’t be this tired! It’s not like the village was that long of course. It was only about… Maybe a two-hour run? And that was a jog at most! He should’ve handled this like it was nothing!

Relief flared up in his body once he reached the bench. He couldn’t wait to sit down and finally stop for a moment. He dropped the lances straight on the ground. He realized that he should’ve lowered them down once he thought about it. But his body said otherwise and thus, clang the lances went as they jostled around, hitting each other. The mantis meanwhile plopped right down on the bench, letting a loud sigh escape through his lungs as he let his body fall backward. He allowed his body to fall limp as he struggled to breathe. Finally, the fire stopped. The burning ended. He could rest and breathe.

It felt like he had just walked the entirety of Hallownest. His feet felt swollen, his arms were drained of all life, his back did not want to work. Everything in general hurt and ached. There was nothing he could really do about it. He still needed to carry the lances indoors, he still needed to walk home. And walking back was a trek in and of itself. It was small moments of rest like these that he enjoyed.

But… Mostly… These small nice moments got interrupted by someone or something unwanted. A tall mantis looked at him. He was still lying limp at that time. It was obvious he was exhausted and needed rest, yet the mantis walked over anyways. The tired mantis deduced that it was female, perhaps a medium build, as she approached. ‘Seems more like a worker than a fighter. But still, someone not to be messed around with.’ She walked over and stared at the mantis in disgust. Her face actively scrunched up upon seeing the broken bug. She walked a bit closer before speaking. “Excuse me, but can you move over? My legs are KILLING me and I would like to sit down!” The mantis could only give her a meek look as he slightly turned his head to face her.

Before he could get any words out, she spoke up again. “I SAID my legs hurt! MOVE!” She leaned down to the poor mantis and shoved him off of the bench, forcing him to meet the floor once more. It hurt, it really did. The sudden rush of air mixed with the harsh landing sent his nerves skyrocketing since he was already so worn out from the walking. This simple push, which most mantises could tolerate, he could not. If he just woke up, sure, he would be fine. But this was different. He let out a loud whine as the pain tore through his body, latching onto each and every surface and staying there juuuuust long enough to inflict as much pain as possible, then falling off and latching on to something else.

The wincing mantis scrunched up, body changing from less like a sharp stick to a ball as he curled up. He tried to let the pain ease out of his forbidden body. It was like someone came along to a bridge that was showing clear signs of age. Just one kick and BAM! The whole thing collapsed into a pile of rubble, stones and ore just falling, crashing into each other as they collected onto the ground. The mantis on the bench simply looked down at the wincing mantis. She looked even more disgusted than before.

“What the hell are you doing? Get up, you pitiful excuse for a mantis!” She stood up. Clearly she hadn’t needed the bench in the first place. Stepping over to him a little, she leaned her foot back. Then the wincing mantis’s body exploded. The ungrateful feeling shot through his body. It tore at walls and scratched at ceilings, begging and pleading to be let out. It was a force that couldn’t be stopped. It went everywhere, spiking and shooting in as many places as it could get. Desperate to get out. Desperate to leave. But it couldn’t, so instead it made its host know how badly it wanted out.

The mantis was not one for noises, but he let out an audible whine again, this time louder. He clutched his stomach and curled up even more, doing everything he could to make it end. Or at least push it back a little, making it hurt a bit less. But she was having none of that. Speaking again was her second action and her third was reeling back for another kick. “What kind of behavior is THIS!? THIS! Is not how MANTISES behave! You should JUST suffer for the ruin you BROUGHT upon our TRIBE!” With each and every word that she yelled,he kicked once more, causing the reaction to happen all over again.

Again and again. The shaming went on for quite a while as she kicked into his tail more and more, forcing it to become darker in some places, as it began to bruise. Eventually, she stopped. ‘Must have gotten bored of this. After all, the mantis was not fighting back. What fun was there to be found in kicking a dead bug?’ She stared at the mess. What the hell was he in the first place? He didn’t even have claws! How was there a mantis in the village without any claws!? This was ridiculous! But… What else could she do about it? She’d already done her part by kicking him until he bled. , Which, in fact, he was. Out of his tail. There were little slits where the famous red liquid could be found slowly dripping out, falling to the floor where the mushrooms came to claim it.

The female mantis was bored with this. She looked away from him, only to spot the lances laying in a heap by the bench. “What… What the hell is THAT!?” she yelled. “IS THAT HOW YOU TREAT EQUIPMENT!? YOU JUST LET IT LIE AROUND LIKE THAT!?” Sure, he could’ve brushed it off. Sure, he could’ve just passed her yelling off as that of a bug who wanted to get under his carapace. But he had gone through this abuse before. For his entire life in fact! Afraid to leave the safety of his side of the village, he’d stayed in that section carrying out various tasks. All the while other mantises treated him like the scum of the earth. And wasn’t he? He wasn’t born with any claws, he had little to no physical fighting capacity, he enjoyed the little things like art and flowers. None of this was welcomed in this village whatsoever.

So, of course, he was an abomination. Why hadn’t he set the lances down on the ground? Why had he stopped to rest? Couldn’t he have just given them to the guard? He was right there, for crying out loud! He could have just given him the damn lances and been on his way out!

“...Are you crying? Mantises don’t cry.”

Oh no. Oh no no no no no! No! He quickly turned his head, shoving it right into the mushrooms, hiding his face, but breathing in the disgusting scent of the fungi. It made him shed more tears. Crying was despised in the mantis village, at least, in the part where he lived. It showed that you were weak, that you could be manipulated easily. The enemy could not know that. So crying was forbidden, for a true mantis never sheds any tears.

Quickly, he shook his head, showing the female mantis that he had shed no tears. His heart soared when he heard her next words. “Good. Now I must be off. This was fun, you know? We should do this again, right?” He didn’t respond. “RIIIIIIGHT!?” He forced himself to nod. “Good! Now then, it was great to let off some steam. See ya!” And just like that, she was gone.

Back on the ground again. He was like a celebrity to the floor, as he had often met it in multiple different situations. Falling, beating, kicking, you name it. If it caused someone to land on the floor, chances are he had experienced it. He just hoped no one witnessed the shaming. But with how many mantises there were, of course someone had seen what happened. They saw it and laughed, or they hated the mantis that had been getting beat. No, not beat, shamed! Shamed! This was HIS fault! He deserved this for everything he’d done to these poor people! This was his punishment. He wasn’t being abused or anything, this was just the treatment he was supposed to receive. There was no changing this. It was not like he was going to have a better life if he ran away or anything. What bug could possibly like him!?

Besides, he was needed here. As the female mantis had said, she needed to let loose some steam. She was going through something tough right now and she needed someone to let her stress off on. That someone being him. So there must be other bugs in a similar situation where they needed someone. That was a way he can help out with the village! That was another thing he could do besides being an errand boy.

But he knew the truth, no matter how much he tried to lie to justify it. He hated the treatment he was getting. It actively made him upset. It ruined his life. He did not want to be treated like this for the rest of his life. This was something he did want to end. But how? What could he do to make it stop? He couldn't, that's what. He had to suffer with this forever.

Carefully, he lifted himself up. Using both arms, he plopped them down before pushing them. Raising his body, his arms started shaking in the process, clearly not used to the strain being put on them. It was a slow process, but he managed to stand up. Albeit, on two very shaky legs. But he was still standing. He had one leg bent, the other straight. His back bent a bit like an S. But he was standing.

Now he just needed to get the lances. That’s all. They were in a pile right next to him. Scattered, yes, but he just needed to gather them back up and take them into the tent. That’s all. The mantis bent down once again to grab the lances. Once he had them bundled up, he picked them up again. Lifting them to his shoulders caused the pain to return once more. However this time was different, as all he needed to do was take them to the training facility, which was the tent right next to him.

Outside, he could barely hear the clashing of weaponry when a question was brought up in that head of his. Why would they need weapons? Didn't all-male mantises have claws? Why would they need spears and lances? Then the answer smacked him right beside the head.

The females! Of course! They don’t have claws! They have hands! Duh! That’s why we need weapons! So they can fight. After all, every mantis in this tribe needed to show their worth one way or another.

Stepping into the dark purple tent, he entered a dimly lit room. There were lights here and there, but the overall room was pretty dim. But lit enough for him to see the big man himself.

The strongest mantis in the tribe. Well… Not as strong as the Lords. No one could beat them. Not even a small ghost with a tiny nail! But this mantis was different. Extremely different. He was much taller than the rest of the mantises. He was even taller than the Lords! To prove just how good a warrior he was, his skin was not green like the rest of them. Instead, it was red. A bright red color. It was always polished too! There was never a scratch or stain anywhere! It shone out like the sun! Well… If he had ever seen the sun.

The mantis always forgot his name. For some reason, he never knew the mantis. He always referred to him as “The Big Redd.” And just “Redd” for short. Actually… he never did find out his name. In fact, he doesn't think anybody knew his name! But why? Why would one choose to hide such a trivial matter? Just tell your name and be done with it.

The mantis just now noticed other mantises fighting in the background. They were training of course. They needed to keep themselves ready for any fight they might come across. Defend the village, fight off a trader, and so on. The tent was also- oh Wyrm why was everything Red!?

Then he knew.

Ohhh, he knew.

The mantis took a gulp as he looked up. There he was. Redd was standing right in front of him in all of his fiery red glory. His body shone in the light, reflecting off of the walls, tainting them with his ever-fascinating color. It was beautiful in a way. That red color was different from the boring green, so while he might have stuck out, it was worth it for an attention seeker like him.

Though the mantis always saw Redd turn down females… Why? Maybe it was because he was a playbug, someone who always has a girlfriend one day and another one the next.

Big Redd always talked in a soft tone. Wait no- A soft, seductive tone. Like he was ready to pounce on anyone. Ready to take advantage of them in an instant. Redd looked down upon the small shaking mantis. Just being in his presence made his blood turn to ice. Redd leaned down to match the poor mantis at eye level before finally speaking to him.

“And what has brought you here, little one~?”

That tone. That voice. Ugh! It shot through his veins, everything about Redd shook him to the core. How he spoke, how strong he was, his color, how- how- how close he was to him! Ohhh he did not like this. He did not like this one bit! Stepping back a little, the young shaking mantis finally spoke. His words were jumbled and soft. It sounded like a squeak.

“Uh- uhh- umm- I- I- I- Ha- had to de- deliver the- the- these l- lances to- to- to y- you…”

His voice was weak and low, stuttering and shaking. Wyrm, couldn’t he keep himself stable for once!?

Redd glanced at the lances, to which the young one immediately replied by handing him the weaponry. The second Redd took them in one claw, a massive weight was lifted off of his shoulder. Finally, he could stand normally now. He didn’t need to shake or falter. All he needed was to stand normally. Which he couldn’t, because Redd was there, giving him all the anxiety he needed to shake off once more.

Redd examined the weapons with a big, dramatic motion. It was like he was acting in a play or something. Once he got through them all, he turned back towards the young mantis. A smile formed between his eyes as well as on his mouth.

“Well! These are in top shape! How did you do it? Most bugs carry them and destroy them halfway. How did you get them to be so perfect?”

Oh, that struck deep. That hit a nerve. A new feeling now rose back up in his system. One he only felt with his family. One that he barely felt. Instinctively, he lifted both of his hands and clasped them together in front of his body. A joyous expression formed on his face. An emotion he rarely felt. And this was coming from the most well-known mantis in the tribe!? Who wouldn’t be excited!?

“You- You think so!?”

Honestly, he shouldn’t have asked. Really, he shouldn't have. What the poor mantis didn’t know was that this was gonna spiral into something horrible. Something disgusting and dreadful. Something he could not deal with. But it’s better to enjoy the moment, eh?

Redd looked back to the mantis. “Of course! I’m so glad to hear that these are perfect! Now, I’m sorry, but I must go, sweetie. I have a lot of work to do.” And off Redd went. You know what? He wasn’t that bad of a guy! Sure, the other mantises feared him. But the young shy bug was sure that under that harsh exterior was a nice and kind mantis just waiting to be shown to the public. He should hang out with him sometime! Yeah! That seemed like a great idea!

“Oh! One more thing before I leave. What’s your name hun~?”

The mantis looked back. Nobody has asked for his name before! They all hated him! They all despised him! So hearing this sent another shockwave throughout his body. That joyous hopeful feeling that someone out there other than his family actually cared about him. He didn’t care about the potential consequences. He just wanted to be with the guy.

His mind struggled to find the word. It’s been so long since someone asked for his name he nearly forgot it. It took a bit, but he managed to find it. Once he finally got it, he blurted it out like it was a competition.

“It’s umm… it’s…”

“Livis.”

  


~ - ~ - ~ - ~

  


Stepping out from the tent. Livis took in a breath of fresh air. He managed to get a small drink and snack while in there, Redd was kind enough to provide him with one. But he had to be on his way. Surely his family missed him by now. It’d been a while and he needed to go. Though the chat with Redd was nice. He was sure to do it again!

Now to start the long trek home. Livis took this moment to reflect on his life.

From what he remembered, he was born with no claws due to some defect at birth. He was born with no weapons on his arms, instead they were replaced with hands. This was highly looked down upon by the mantis clan. Honestly, it was a miracle that his mother did not kill him right then and there. The second she saw his defect, she wanted to end his life. Him living at all shamed her. She managed to birth yet another child who did not have claws. Now the first one made sense, since she was female. But Livis was a different story, or he was male.

Think of it like this… You have a female who has no claws, so they choose to fight with spears. You have males who do have claws, and they use those as their weapons. But Livis was like an abomination between the two, as he had no claws yet he was a male. So what the hell was he? Where did he fit in the village? What was his rank? No other mantis has been born this way. No other male mantis was born with hands but not claws. So he was a rare case, he didn’t belong in the tribe, technically. But he wasn’t kicked out either. Why? Because the Lords looked upon him and degreed ‘No fellow brethren of ours-deformed or not deformed-shall be thrown out of our living space! For they are a part of us!’

Bugs still looked down upon Livis and his parents, even as they birthed a different child. However, things started turning around when Livis started showing signs of fighting at a young age. He wanted to battle and get better, he wanted to join the guard. At some points, he was the bully to others, as he was often a part of the other children who were the at top in battling. But as Livis grew he lost that fighting mentality. As he got older he started looking into other things in life. The constant fighting and battling bored him, it was the same thing day by day by day. There was no difference! He had even started to study the guard one day and quickly found out just how boring their lives were. All they did was stand outside the village and watch… That was it. No fighting, no glorious battles. Just watching.

As a very young mantis, he hated that. Perhaps if he did more research into it things would’ve been different. But it was too late.

When Livis reached about middle years for a child, he left his basic school and was sent into the intermediate school like all mantises. Livis was already leaving his old persona behind during basic school, but this really made him change. While he was there he saw so many things wrong with so many different bugs. Well… Not different per se. But he still saw a lot of things wrong. Mantises were fighting left and right, there were battles here and there. Mantises challenged other mantises in the middle of class! Even right when the teacher was there! And they were fine with it! They acted like it was normal.

All this fighting eventually got to his head. Hearing so many screams of pain and cries of battle gets to a bug. Well, it got to him. He can’t say for sure that it affected the other bugs. But it tormented him, it made him want to never see fighting again. During that time Livis explored other forms of entertainment. He started to dabble a bit into music, but he could never find the right sounds to fit together. He started to write a little. But writing so many words hurt his hand, he would often get aches and cramps due to the sheer amount he was putting down. Finally he found something that truly stuck out to him. Drawing. Livis often saw the world around him, not as a living space but as a work of beauty. There were so many things that were just awe-inspiring and Livis needed to get that down.

At first, those images looked horrible, like a Tiktik tried to walk through a crowd without getting squished. But after a while, they started looking a bit decent. Livis always left the household whenever he wanted to draw, as he was too scared of his family finding out of his secret ambition. But… One day, he created an image he was just too proud of and showed it to his parents. His mother hated what he had secretly done. She’d thought he was always heading out to fight or train, not this! She took the artwork and threw it across the room. She proceeded to yell at the small mantis. Before she could do anything, however, his father came home. Obviously he was extremely confused as to why his wife was yelling at their child. When she told him the truth, he wasn’t angry at Livis. But he was pissed at his mate! How dare she mock something their child had put such hard work into!?

After sending Livis to his room. The parents had a very heated debate. It almost ended in them going their separate ways, but his father managed to talk his mother down. Livis was able to stay and continue his work, but he would have to do it secretly as the other mantises would not accept it.

Livis drew more as he grew older. It was the first thing he did when he came home! He was always proud to show his family his pieces and they were extremely supportive… Well… Not his mother, yet. She always stared at them with disgust, she hated everything he did. However, a couple days after seeing so many pictures, she decided to really look at a piece he drew. At first she denied it, but the image struck her. The lines and paint were beautiful! The image was perfectly crafted in a way that displayed the message as well as the art itself! Making sure nobody was looking, she hid the piece in a secret location. Livis proceeded to show them more and more images, but she always reacted to them with great disgust. Under her facade though, she loved it. She cherished her baby who had grown up to create these wonderful splashes of paint. She loved everything he’d done.

Livis was running out of art supplies, however. So he simply asked his parents for more. His father walked up and told him the sad truth; they lived in a part of the village where it was very battle-hardened. Everyone wanted to fight everyone, so there was no room for art or drawing. Livis understood what his father said. He knew the truth even before asking him, but that didn’t stop the tears from coming anyways. In the other room, his mother saw him crying and made a plan. In the middle of the night she snuck out of the village via a hidden route. She traveled to the City of Tears where she bought art supplies, then walked home. She wasn’t too worried about it since she had created this little escape route herself, for if (Wyrm-forbid!) something happened to the village and they all needed to run.

When Livis came home that day, he was greeted with paint brushes, paint cans, chiseling tools and so much more on the table. All the while his mother was sitting on the couch and trying desperately not to stare at him. From that instant, Livis knew her true feelings. He knew how she felt, he knew. Despite her protests, he hugged her with all his might. She responded by hugging him back. Of course, the moment was interrupted by their dad barging his way in.

Off Livis went, making more art using the supplies his mother had bought him. If only it was that simple.

Something he would have loved to forget was the constant abuse and torture he received while growing up due to being born differently AND hating violence. That made him the perfect target for other mantises to poke fun at. It was small things at first, like teasing him in the middle of class or interrupting him while he was answering a question. Later on, however, the bullying turned into straight-up abuse. Physically assaulting him, stealing items he owned, messing with his head. All that fun stuff. Livis tried to combat this by creating art pieces, trying to distract himself from the world. When that failed he tried giving in, like he had before. He convinced himself that this was all his fault and he deserved it. But deep down he knew, he knew it was all lies. He knew he was being mistreated, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Yes, he didn’t believe this was all his fault, he knew he was innocent in all this. But he did feel like he was still needed in the village. That’s why he hadn’t left, that’s why he had stayed there his entire life. Yes, his mind was mostly solid, but there was always that small part that told him he still needed to contribute to the village in some manner. That there was something he still needed to do or give back to everyone. After all, hadn’t the Lords saved him because he was ‘Their fellow brethren?’ Wouldn’t leaving the village be going against their word and all that trouble they went through to save him?

But was it worth it for all of the abuse he went through? Was staying here, trying desperately to give back to the village, really worth all of the abuse? This was the problem that Livis faced. This was the question that had pegged him all his life. He could never leave as he felt like he still needed to give back, but he could never stay as the abuse and mistreatment were getting to him. It was only getting worse as time moved on! There were many instances where Livis had nearly suffered a fatal injury! Like losing a leg! Or an arm!

On the subject of reflection and the village, the village itself was quite strange. It was separated into different sectors, each sector focused on something different. For example, the sector Livis lived in was focused on fighting and battling. It just so happened to be the largest sector and the most talked about. After that, there was another one more focused on gardening and producing products, mainly food and water. After that was another sector focused on making weapons and new living spaces, as well as fixing up old ones. There were more but Livis couldn’t think of any of them at the moment.

The village itself had also changed from when he was first born. He swore that the Lords used to the village more. They had talked to more mantises and surveyed the area regularly. But now they were almost rarely seen. Livis concluded that it was because they were too busy with meetings or other important things. In short, he had no idea what had happened to them. They still existed, they were still there. But most mantises only saw them once or twice a month! And that was just for the usual check-ups. They called a meeting to see how the village was doing, to see how the food surplus was doing, how many houses were built or needed fixing, how the training regiment was going, how many mantises there were. The usual stuff.

But that was it. Livis swore to his life the Lords used to visit more! But something happened, or he thought something happened, and now they were nowhere to be seen! Well, regardless of whether they were visiting or not, the village had changed a lot as he grew. It was a small place, only home to a large number of mantises. And it was mostly about fighting, that was the big thing there. But when the Lords declared that Livis could live, the village changed a bit. It became much larger since there were so many mantises that needed homes. The food supply was grown way out of proportion, so there was always more than needed just in case anything happened. There were more guards and people interested in fighting. There were more battles and buildings and mantises.

There was just more of everything! It all grew! But that was just the way villages and cities went. They start out small, then they grew huge, like the City of Tears his mother had always told him about. Oh, what he would do just to spend one day in that place. The raindrops must be so relaxing, and the ever-cool purple and calm blues as well. The colors must have been so soothing! And the buildings! And the people! Ugh! He would love to head there! Maybe for even only an hour if he could! It was nothing like the village was. The village was so crowded despite the houses being spread pretty far apart. The mushrooms got in the way of a lot of things. It was hard to walk due to the uneven ground! There were so many of them! And the scent, my Wyrm, the scent!

It drove him mad! It was a hot, musky, broad scent. It was everywhere! How could the mantises live with this!? The temperature too, ugh, it was a humid, hot, claustrophobic climate. It was like they were stranded in a desert or something. That was another thing his mother had told him about; the deserts that stretched as far as the eye could see! They were hot, barren wastelands that were found outside of Hallownest. Again, they were just stories that his mother had told him when he was but a little bug. But he would have loved to go visit them, or at least see them one day! Anything would be better than this village!

Hey, speak of the devil. Finally, there he was. Home! Ahh, home sweet home! The one place where Livis genuinely felt loved and appreciated, for his entire family actually cared about him! It was also the only place where he could draw! Ugh, he’d been dying to sketch his problems away. A lot had happened today and some art would really feel nice right now…

Livis didn’t need to knock on his door as it was his house, so he simply opened it up and stepped right in. He was greeted by his entire family eating dinner, all around the table chowing down on some Tiktiks his mother had managed to sneak in. Honestly, Livis loved any food that was not from the village.

His mother whipped around and looked up to see her little bug. But instead of the happy-go-lucky smile he was expecting, her face was full of absolute worry and fear. She immediately got up and ran towards Livis. Livis stepped back a bit in response, startled. He almost never saw his mother act this way. When she finally got to him she cupped his face the best she could before giving him a warm kiss right on his forehead.

“Ohh, honey… What happened to you?”

…

…

?

Why would she ask that question? He was fine! There was nothing wrong with him! Sure, he might have little bruises here and there, but he was okay! Honest!

“Mother. What- What do you mean? I’m fine.” Livis never spoke loud enough for a lot of bugs to hear him. Thankfully, his family already knew his speech. They knew he often talked quietly and were used to it. Livis never really spoke to anyone but bugs who were close to him anyway.

“What do you mean ‘What do you mean?’? Look at yourself, Livis!” His mother stepped back to spread her arms out. “Your tail! It’s discolored all over the place!” She bent down to examine his little green barb thing. To be honest, even Livis had no idea why it was there or what purpose it was for. She pointed to all the spots that were darker than the rest. “It’s discolored here. And here. And here…” Now that he was getting a good look at his own body, she was right! His tail was discolored all over the place! There were several blotches of dark green mixed with his usual light green.

His mother let out a loud “Hmm…” before poking him in one of those splotches. This sent a wave of pain flying through his body , making him stand up straight and let out a loud “Eep!”.

“Ow! Mom! What- What was that for?”

“I was testing if you could still feel your tail, since it’s covered in bruises right now.” She leaned her head in a bit further, taking a closer look at it. “Yeah… They might stay there for a couple days.” She stood up. “Livis, what were you doing!? When did you get these!?” The young mantis never liked when his mother raised her voice, be it shouting or just raising it at all.

He knew she was worried though. Her child walks in with a beat-up tail and no explanation. Of course, she was-

“And this! Livis! What happened to your back! And your arms!” There she went. Now she was flying from one spot to the next, looking over all of his injuries. Livis tried to come up with a believable lie.

“I um…” He looked towards the floor. “Fell to the ground. And- And some stuff was dropped on me.” Well… It was not the worst lie he had ever told in his life. He did try. But of course, his mother saw right past that and prodded him with the golden question.

“Livis my dear. You know you can tell your mother anything. Now…” She grasped his arm and proceeded to bandage it with her other hand. “Please tell me the truth, dearie.” Livis looked back to the floor as he let loose about his day.

‘I- I- I was forced to carry some lances. And- And they were a bit- bit heavy for me. And- And I had to carry them across th- the village. All by myself. They really hurt, mom.” He now looked back into her eyes. “They t- took a toll on my arms a- and back a- and legs. I could barely get over here.”

Livis looked back at the ground. “I found a bench to rest on when I arrived t- there. But a girl came over a- and…” Thank Wyrm he did not have to finish that sentence. Livis hated talking about bad stuff. Telling the truth word for word was quite hard for him. Therefore he often tried to find his way around it by using other words or phrases that could mean the thing without directly saying it. Whether it actually worked or not depended on whether the bug was smart enough to understand what he really meant.

Thankfully, his mother knew him too well.

“Awww, honey…” His mom always knew how to make him feel better, embracing him in a warm hug. Livis gladly accepted the hug, responding right back by wrapping his arms around her in return. “Now, let’s get you something to eat! You’re already thin as is!” She let go of him and directed him to the table where his father and sister were already greedily chowing down on some fresh Tiktik. Of course, there was more than one as a singular Tiktik could not feed an entire bug. Even if they were just a baby they still needed at least two to be full!

As Livis sat down, both his sister and father waved at him. It would have been nice to hear them say ‘hi’ or ‘hello’ but at least they acknowledged him. The Tiktiks looked amazing! Ugh, his mother always knew how to cook up a good meal! Livis put his hand down and grabbed a Titktik from the plate. He examined it from all sides, making sure it was cooked fully all the way before popping half of it into his mouth and biting down.

It was a simple bite really, no more than a couple millimeters. The taste sent flourishes to his mind. His mouth bounced with the taste of the freshly cooked flesh. There was just something about having a cooked Tiktik that was so delicious! Maybe it was his mother? She was already such a good cook, she could take the same fruit and give it 10 different flavors, each different in taste and texture. Livis had no idea how his mother was this good but boy was he glad! He danced the Tiktik around in his jaw for a little bit, getting some of the taste from its body. Teasing his mouth for juuuuust a little more before he bit down again. The crunch erupting throughout his mouth as the Tiktik splits yet again. Small bits of it flew off into more parts of his mouth, while the one large glob was cut in half. All for his begging tongue to greedily drink up.

His mouth lavished in the succulent Tiktik. The chunks just flying around his cheeks as he bit down on the small bits, savoring the two large chunks a little bit more before smushing those pieces into smaller bits as well. Livis never ate like his family did, he liked to savor each and every piece he put onto his jaw. Usually, this made him last in finishing any kind of meal. But everyone was fine with it, as Livis was always a bit more extraordinary than most bugs.

After chewing for a little more. The chunks were now tiny enough to warrant a different kind of treatment. Now, it was getting a bit bothersome to chew but the pieces were tiny enough. So Livis put them to the back of his mouth, letting it glide across his tongue in an effort to get more of that taste out of them. When they reached the back of his mouth, he let them sit there before opening up his throat. Letting the-now gooey-globs slide ever so effortlessly down his throat, they lit up his nerves as the globs brushed against his inside tube as he was getting one last burst of sensations from his small meal.

Livis suddenly realized how weird that sounded. He almost gagged once he went over those words in his head. Ugh, they sounded disgusting!

Anyways, Livis threw the last part of the Tiktik back into his mouth and repeated the process. A face of glee radiated off to the remaining members of the table.

His dad thought he was ridiculous but still smiled.

His mother smiled back, knowing that her son was loving the meal.

His sister eyed him, seeing how he was acting and declared it adorable!

The family enjoyed a nice quiet dinner. Not many words were spoken, the only sounds were the crunching of the Tiktiks and perhaps some gulps of water.

Afterwards each member gathered their plate and returned it to the sink for his mother (or father) to clean up later. Now was a time for freedom! Every mantis decided what they wanted to do before they went to bed. There was only a little time left in the workday so not much could be done, but Livis could finish up that art piece he was working on yesterday! Both of his parents went to the family room and laid down on the couch, aiming to spend the rest of the day talking. He could listen to them but that would be boring. He was not one for “adult” conversation which was ironic since he’d be an adult next month.

Instead of heading upstairs to his room, his sister grabbed his arm and dragged him to her room. It was… Not… As nice as she was. To be blunt, her room was a mess. Weapons and papers were everywhere. She had some toys and places to put them but instead, they were just on the floor. But that’s just how she was. Even though he hated how messy her room was, it was how she was! It was her personality. She was bright and bubbly! At the same time, she was a bit dense and stubborn, but he couldn’t ask for a better sister. She loved him and he loved her, he accepted her and she accepted him.

Now in her room, he was confused as to why she dragged him in there. His sister locked the door behind him. Welp, guess it was secret sharing time. Livis took his spot on her bed, just the end of it as he stared around her room. It was much larger than his, she had a larger bed, larger room, larger… Everything. He was content with his little corner though. It reminded him of his little spot in the world.

“So… What- what did you c- call me for?” Ugh, stuttering! Since when did he have this problem!? When the Abyss did it start and when would it end!?

Enough about him. His sister was more than eager to start talking.

“Livis! Li’l bro! Li’l bro! You have NO idea what I’m gonna tell you!!!” She bounced around her room, crushing a few papers in the process. Livis simply smiled and guessed. He’d been with her long enough to know what she was thinking.

“Is it a n- new love interest?” He asked while raising his hand a little. She stopped dead in her tracks and stared at him before rushing over and grabbing both of his hands, forcing him to jump with her. Livis yelped in surprise.

“Yes, yes, YES! How did you know!?” She stopped jumping. “Were you SPYING on me!? What!? You don’t trust your big sister!?” Livis waved his hands back and forth.

“What? N- No! Of- Of course not! I trust you with my whole life!!”

“Good, good!!” She went back to bouncing again. This whole jumping thing was giving Livis a headache. Maybe drawing wasn’t the best idea, perhaps sleeping was.

“Ah! Si- Sis! Can you please stop?”

“Oh! I’m sorry! I forgot you get weak easily!” Livis backed off a bit before sitting back down on the bed.

“N- n-” Come on Livis! Say the word! “Now, before you g- go on another tangent. Can y- you tell me why this guy. Ha- has you so excited?”

She clapped her hands together. “Yes, yes, of course!!” Then she bent over so she was staring directly into Livis’s eyes. “He’s just THE most dreamy!” Aaaaaand she collapsed on the floor. “UGH! You have NO idea Livis!”

“I- uhh, may-”

“NO LIVIS YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND!!!” Now she was laying on her arms and legs, staring up at Livis. Boy, if anything, his sister was the most expressive bug he’s ever met. “I HAVEN’T CONFESSED TO HIM FIRRRRRST!!!” Now she was banging on the floor like an upset toddler.

Livis was a bit awestruck. He’d never seen his sister get this excited over a boy before. Sure, she’d gone through phases and through a ton of male mantises. But this was different, perhaps she really loved this guy. “Well… Before y- you confess to him. W- why don’t you tell me why you like him so much?”

She immediately bounced to her feet “Oooo! That’s a good idea!!” Spinning away from him, she spoke once more “I know you may not think he’s my type. BUT I JUST CAN’T HELP MYSELF!!! Okay, okay, characteristics, characteristics. Umm… Well… For starters, he’s shy as a moon.”

Shy? A mantis, shy? Here of all places!? There was no way, she was lying! Or… Perhaps she had explored outside of their sector and went to another. He’d heard other mantises are different, maybe she’d found him there. “Shy? I don’t believe it. Where did you find him?”

Now she responded with a puffed-up face, hands at her hips. “What do you mean, ‘shy?’ Livis!? Of COURSE, I found him outside of here! No other mantis here speaks like a Tiktik beside you!” It suddenly occurred to Livis that her previous statement, or simile ‘shy as a moon’ made no sense whatsoever.

“Well… Anything else a- about him?” Okay, now he was really starting to feel ill. Perhaps the bouncing combined with her loud voice was making him dizzy. He’d better finish this up before he passed out right in front of her.

“OH YES! He’s kind, very kind in fact, kind as the Lords! Extremely nice! The second we met he gave me a mushroom he decorated! It was the most beautiful thing!! Then he-” She just went on and on. Now Livis was really starting to feel something. His head started to pound. Sleep sounded like a brilliant idea right now…

Livis tried to stand up, but he stumbled a bit and fell forward. Thankfully, his sister caught him. “Whoa! Livis! You okay there!?” Yeaaaaaah no. No, he was not.

“No… Not… Really right now sis… Can… Can I go now?”

“What? Oh! Of course! Man, today must’ve been a hard day for you! You didn’t even last a second in here, Livis!” Did he? Did he last a second? He didn’t know. Ugh, he would have loved to draw right now, but his body begged for sleep. Maybe that beating took a toll not only on his tail but on his head as well.

His sister drooped his arm over her shoulder and started walking forward. Unlocking the door in her way, she carried her exhausted brother to his room and set him down on his bed. Thankfully the house was structured in a way that had both of their rooms right next to each other, so his sister didn’t need to walk too far.

Upon opening his room she was blasted with a wave of pictures. Livis never liked to hang up his own artwork, but his parents (and sister) enforced it. So now they were everywhere in his room. Sat by the windowsill were some flowers his mother managed to sneak in from the world above. They were simple flowers. A clean white that sparked, a pretty blue that shone, a vibrant yellow that… That… Yelled? Ugh, Livis couldn’t think of the words now. Now he needed sleep.

She brushed past his canvas, which was smack dab right in the middle of the room. It was covered thankfully, so nothing could get on it and no one could see what he was working on.

There was his bed, clean and tidy as ever, it was the same with his room! His sister hasn’t recognized it until now, but his room was gorgeous! Paintings and flowers hung everywhere. Despite its small size and all the decorations, it still felt roomy and just… beautiful! She had to admit, her brother did have a knack for pretty things.

And now the only pretty thing was him sleeping in his bed.

Gently, she lowered her sibling down to his bed. Lying in front of her, he curled up like a little pillbug. He was so fucking cute!!! She couldn’t help herself! She loved her brother of course! But this! Ugh, she wouldn’t forget this for the longest time!

The way he spoke, the way he moved, the fact that he was shy and gave her a mushroom when they were young. There was something just something about her brother she cherished! She hoped one day he would find the perfect mate! Someone whom he could settle down with and be happy for the rest of his life!

Now she’d better get him to sleep.

Well, he was already sleeping.

No matter, she pulled the covers over him and he tucked himself into them a little more. That was all she could do for him! Bending down, she gave a little peck on his forehead, whispering pleasant words into his mind.

“Goodnight Livis. Hope you sleep well.”

Livis did. He did sleep well. As he drifted off to sleep the last thing he thought was that overall, his life was nice. He lived in a nice house, with a nice family, with nice tools! Sure, the village treated him like crap, but it was all worth it for this.

He drifted off into sleep.

Slowly and carefully.

Though, he had one last feeling that confused him.

A feeling of impending doom.


	2. Buzz Buzz

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a day later on the other side of Hallownest, rests three other bugs. These creatures are all relatively close. As they spent a decent amount of time together.
> 
> A decision, however. A simple yes or no question. Set the path for quite an adventure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well... This took longer than I thought. Ah well, here's chapter two! Welcome to the other side of Hallownest! Where we meet the other bugs of the story! 
> 
> Not much to say here. Other than bees are very soft and fluffy. Fite me.

Flying. There was always something so calm about it. Perhaps it had to do with the soft wingbeats? The air hitting the back of the bug every flap, maybe? Ugh, who knows. All she knew was that it soothed her. It was like sitting down at a spa after a long day of work, letting all your joints ease out and relax, stretching and letting them just collapse in the nice calming pool of...

Honey.

What.

Okay, she knew honey was the main source of everything here. But this was ridiculous! How hard was it to transport some regular water, or stone or something over to the Hive, and make stuff with it? It wasn’t that hard! Plus, it would be way better than using honey because it’s actually built for making stuff! Honey was just used as the main food supply and a lot of other things. It was quite amazing how many different ways honey could be used.

But stone was still something she didn’t understand. Why not just trade their honey with other bugs to get some basic stone or something. She knew that there were other bugs besides bees. Yes, she’d lived here all her life. But one day she was gonna leave the Hive! Not to start her own hive, of course, that would be disgusting. Ugh… Imagine that. All these tiny little bees running around, doing your bidding. Well… The “doing your bidding” part sounds interesting. Since she would be commanding… Well, everyone. They will ALL bow down to her will!

A small smile snuck across her face as she flew, passing multiple bees in the process. It was stupid really. All the bees in a hive, swearing loyalty to her and only her. All they are ever doing is what she tells them to do. It’s a fun idea, but she’s pretty sure that would get boring fast. There’s only so many fun or interesting things you can do with mindless subjects who only follow you.

The female bee landed on the service of the hive, clutching the box she had in her hand a bit harder as she moved across the hard floor. Huh… Guess she was wrong then. The floor was made out of stone. It just had a covering of honey. Soo…. They did trade with other bugs? To get different things? Maybe? Or perhaps they just found this stone laying around and went, ‘Hey! We can use this!’

The female bee shook her head. Nah, they must’ve traded with somebody. The bee decided to look closer at the smooth stone, even though she was walking and it was covered with honey. The bee could make out various details of the cut material. The design was quite interesting. It had multiple curves and cuts embedded into the stone, giving it a very unique look not native to anywhere else. Well, at least for the bee, it stands out in-

“Ow!”

“Gah!?”

A crash. A small one, but it still interrupted the bee’s routine. A crash of any kind would stop anyone really. Unlike the female bee, the other bee was studying the walls instead of the ground. They were looking at the soft yellow of the honey, flowing and planting itself inside the combs of the Hive. How was the honey able to cover all this and not ruin the material of the Hive. Perhaps the walls were the Hive…?

Too bad none of them were watching where they were going.

The female bee, upon first contact, spiked her foot on the ground, sending her up but dropping the box in the process. While she was in the air, she performed a quick flip to reorientate herself. Upon seeing the bug she crashed into, she aimed her leg and kicked the bug down. Not hard enough to send them flying, but enough to just shove them to the ground.

Quickly, she shot her eyes towards the box. Despite being a little crushed from the front, it mostly remained intact and in good condition. What she failed to notice, however, was the number of papers flying around her. Well… She did notice them once one flew right in her face. She grabbed the paper and tossed it aside. Quickly, she slammed her foot down into the bee’s chest, hard enough to knock the wind out of them if they weren't already knocked out.

She felt something soft on her foot. Fur. Light, soft- very soft fur in fact. As she moved down to get in a better position to look at this intruder. She also got a good look at their body-

Oh.

Oops.

Welp! The female bee was shocked to see the bug she was pinning down was one of her own! A friend in fact. A very close friend, one she had since she was just a small bee growing up.

“Oh shit, Zip, you okay!?”

Instinctively, she took her foot off of his chest and reached her right hand down to the injured bee. She felt horrible for hurting her friend like that but she hoped he wasn’t too bothered by it. Since they’ve been together for so long he knew how she acted and she knew how he acted.

Zip grabbed her hand and she lifted him up. To explain how Zip acted was… Well…

“Oh, I… I’ve never seen someone so beautiful! It was like heaven crashed right into me!”

Yeah…

As she pulled Zip to her height, Zip attempted to move in closer. He closed his eyes and put his lips together, trying to lean in and kiss her. The female bee simply snickered as she pressed her hand on his face and brushed him aside.

“Pfff. Yeah right, sure ya pervert.” The female bee put on a smile and moved past him, as she crouched down to start picking up papers. There were… Quite a few, but not enough that it would take too long. She and Zip could pick all these up and she would still make it on time.

“Hey! You’re not dating yet! I still have a shot!” Zip bent down to pick up some of the papers he dropped. A goofy smile crossed his face as his eyes danced in mischief.

“Yeah. And that’s a big yet. I may never even find someone. You know how long I’ve been at it!”

“‘I don’t know Breeze. I feel like love for you is staring you right in your eyes.”

Breeze suddenly turned to face Zip. She held a pack of papers in her arm as she pressed them into her chest. Finding Zip’s face, she locked eyes with him before throwing the pack at said face. Doing so sent even more papers everywhere, but mostly in the same spot. Zip flinched backward upon getting hit, falling on his back.

“Ow- hey!”

“Wyrm, you’re such a dumbass…” Breeze shoved a hand to her face, shaking it in disappointment, before throwing it to her side and putting her other hand on her hip. “C’mon Zip. Let’s gather these things. I’m sure you don’t want to be late, right?”

“Aww… But I was having fun!”

And off the two went collecting the pile of papers that they themselves had created. During this time, Breeze decided to think about the bee next to her. Zip was.. Well… To put it nicely, a pretty big perv. Well, that wasn’t nicely and that was also wrong. The poor guy always used pick-up lines and tried his best at scoring a girlfriend. Of course, this got him nowhere and he was oftentimes rejected.

Though Breeze heard from him pretty recently that he managed to hook up with a female bee! And they’d been dating for a while now. 

How the two of them met never really should’ve happened. When Breeze was young Zip did his usual tricks and tried to woo her. Even as a small child she failed to fall for the bee and rejected him like many others. Unlike many others though, she decided to stick around. Something about him just spoke to her. Maybe it was the way he looked or spoke, but she just couldn’t get away from him.

She knew it wasn’t love. She didn’t love the damn bee, at least not that way, that’s for sure. Pretty soon Breeze caught on to something about Zip. The guy really didn’t hang around that many people. Sure, he flirted and talked to a lot of girls, but on his down-time, he usually sat alone, away from other bees.

So one day, she decided to just… Sit next to the small bee and talk. They didn’t become friends on the spot, it took a while for Zip to realize his charms would never work on her. This simple action opened up a whole new world for Breeze. Zip was so much more than a playboy, he had ideas, plans, details, nearly everything. Something she sure as hell didn’t expect was how smart he was. He knew so much about almost anything! The bee was both book-smart, and Hive-smart! Now, however, she wasn’t so sure. Zip had changed a lot over the years, but he still kept that same spark he’d always had in him. The one Breeze was able to see.

While they were spending time talking at a young age something happened that locked their friendship forever. Or at least that;s what Breeze thought. It was pretty small, she’s sure a lot of bugs went through the same thing. But it still mattered a lot.

While Breeze was flying across the street, she noticed something in an alley; someone trying to signal for help. Upon arrival, she found Zip being robbed by two older bullies. Both were stronger and taller than him. She could’ve stepped away, not gotten involved and let the poor bee lose 10 Geo or so. But she knew there was just something about Zip that she liked. Plus, it just wasn’t right to rob other bees.

So she stepped in, she walked past the two taller bees and blocked them from Zip, spreading her arms out in the process. One of the bullies saw this as an excuse to fight, so he flung up his fists and charged forward.

It was a good thing Breeze had been practicing how to fight nearly her whole life! Her entire family was pretty big on the order of combat. So they thrust all their knowledge upon their only child, which was Breeze. She lapped it all up greedily. 

Beating the bullies without breaking a sweat, she put out a hand towards Zip and pulled the small bug up to stand with her. She placed a hand across his shoulder, telling him, “C’mon. Let’s get ya home.”

Breeze looked at Zip as he was collecting papers. He looked like your everyday average bee. No neck fur, but with the classic yellow and black lines around his body. His wings were larger than him. Oddly, they don’t have the lines in them like most other bees. They were just large wings that were able to support him during flight. 

Unlike him, she had a pretty big ruff of brown neck fur. It nearly came down to her arms, or at least the tops of her arms, but not quite. Zip was also smaller than her. She was quite a tall bee, taller than most in fact! So Zip naturally was a bit tinier than her. Not by much though, of course. She was pretty sure he reached up to the bottom of her head. Her wings had lines in them like most other bees, but she also had something that just slightly set her apart from the crowd.

She had a little tuft of extra fur on her head, sticking out like spikes. They were on the back of her head and the fur looked like there were two mountains sitting together. Again, it was in the back of her head, they weren’t too large. But it was a design she quite liked so she stuck with it.

That reminded her… She should ask him about how his girl is doing…

Grabbing another sheet of paper and putting in her pile, Breeze looked up to the flirty bee and popped a question of her own.“Hey Zip? You told me you found someone, right? How’s that workin’ out for ya?”

Zip snapped his head towards the taller bee. A bright goofy smile spread across his entire face and his eyes danced in joy. He carefully placed his stack of papers down before slamming his own hands towards the ground, facing Breeze in the process.

“Oh, she’s the best! I- I think. I never really had anyone, ya know? But we’ve been hanging out a lot. Doing things and so on, the usual couple things. But she looks so pretty! Her- her fur is soft as… Well, fur! She keeps it combed and clean, she has beautiful wings, just… I love everything about her!” Zip still had that bright smile planted right on his face, he was excited alright.

Breeze let out a breath of air. At least Zip was having a good time. She knew he would be worked up about this. He’s never had a girlfriend in his life! At least he’s managed to score one now. “Have you two ever done anything together? Like, have you ever gone out or…?”

Zip responded with a brighter smile. “Oh hell yeah! We’ve gone to tons of places! Well… Only around the Hive really… Since that is the only place we can go.” Zip put his head down and continued to collect the papers, yet still having his bright smile

After some time, all the paper had been plucked from the sticky ground. Breeze (who had a bigger stack) gave her set of the papers to Zip who gladly accepted them. Collecting the papers didn’t take long at all. Breeze picked up her package and checked the box, opening the top.

...

Good. Everything was still there. Breeze closed the package back up before lowering it down and shifting herself into a more comfortable position. Zip shuffled his papers into a better position before firmly holding them in both hands. Breeze’s box looked odd to him however. He pointed a finger to the container and spoke, face twisted into a puzzled expression. “What is that?”

Breeze perked up, staring at Zip. “Oh, it’s just some supplies.” She waved her hand down. “Nothing too important really.” All that was in the box were some cleaning equipment for weapons, as well as a few rations to help out the bugs who guard the entrance. “What about you Zippi? What’cha carrying?”

“Oh, this?” Zip looked down at the stack of papers he was carrying. “These are just some notes a library needs. They have to get their history and biological books updated. Some new discoveries were… Well, discovered!” Breeze looked to the path Zip was taking, realizing that a library was pretty far away if he kept traveling in that direction.

“Zip…? Where are you delivering those papers?” Zip raised an eyebrow in response.

Wait, what’s an eyebrow?

“Oh. You know. To the local library we always went to when we were little.”

“The Busy Bee library?”

“Yeah! That one!”

“Zip, you do know it’s in the way you came from, right?” Breeze pointed a finger behind Zip.

…

…

“Shit.”

~~~

Both started flying their way towards the direction Zip went, chatting along the way. Zip decided to bring up an interesting question. “You know, Breezy. Don’t you think it’s weird I’m dating a bee?”

Breeze looked a bit dumbfounded, answering that question with a question of her own. “No…? I don’t think that’s weird at all. It’s normal.”

“Weeelll. From what I heard. Our hive works differently from others.”

Okay, now Breeze was intrigued. “How so? I thought a lot of hives were like ours.”

“Well, not really. You see, from what I heard, in other hives everyone is a sibling to one another. They’re all related!”

That idea disgusted Breeze. She scowled upon hearing the word ‘related.’ How would that even work!? There were way too many bees in a hive! How could they all be related!? Un... Unless…

A thought crossed her mind and she killed it as fast as possible, sending it to the deepest corners of her brain before shoving it in a pool of fire. Then she let it burn to ashes before taking the ashes and boiling them in acid, then letting them sizzle and burn. Then she took the acid and beat the life out of it. At least, the best she could.

“What!? Why!? That’s disgusting! Why would they ever want that!?” Breeze had to cough for a little bit. The image in her head was a bit much.

“I… I don’t know! That’s all I heard!” Zip put his hands up in defense, waving them around. “I don’t know why or how they do this. Nor do I want to! These are just rumors I heard!”

“Well it’s a good thing our hive isn’t like those.”

Zip nodded his head in agreement. “My only question is how our Hive isn’t like those. I mean, our hive is a combination of a bunch of different bees! All from different hives and places.”

A thought flew right into Breeze’s mind. Really Zip? The answer is right there, ya dummy.

“Zip. If they’re from different hives, why don’t you just ask them to see how their previous queen ruled them?” 

Zip put a hand to his chin. “O- oh… I… Uhh, hadn’t thought of that.”

“Of course you didn’t! All you think about is how to get girls!” Zip looked shocked at that wording. Flinching backward, he turned his body to fully face Breeze.

“Ugh- I do not!” The perverted bee put a hand to his chest, and the other to his hip. He puffed out his chest and closed his eyes, giving off a real ‘I am a teacher’ or an ‘I am an adult and you are wrong simple child’ vibe. “I’ll have you know! I do not only think of that stuff! I actually... Think of many other things! Like how to treat the girl I’m dating, or how we can better fix the Hive! Or how we- AH!”

Zip bumped right into another bee that was flying in front of him. Breeze saw this happening, yet decided not to say anything because she thought it was. Hilarious. Once they both crashed Breeze burst out laughing. Zip managed to hold on to his stack of papers, though Breeze wouldn’t have minded picking them up again.

“Ugh! Zip! Watch where you’re going!” The new bee shouted at him. She was a bit smaller than Zip, but not that much, only an inch shorter. She looked exactly like Zip but with a smaller set of neck fur, not close to Breeze’s level at all. 

“Ah, s- sorry Haze. I uhh-”

“You were closing your eyes as you were trying to prove Breeze wrong even though you knew she was correct?” Haze crossed her arms together.

”I… Well…”

Haze shot a quick glance over to Breeze, rolling her eyes. Haze faced back over to Zip, slapping a hand to her face. “Ugh… You never change, do you…?”

“Hey! He’s Zip! You know how he acts!” Breeze shouted with a delightful expression.

“I hate both of you, you know that?” Zip pulled a tired look on his face as he slouched over.

“Mm-Hm! And you would be lost without us!” Haze gave Zip a quick peck on the head.

Breeze saw this and decided to have fun with it. “Ooooooo!! Zip, are you cheatin’ on ya girlfrieeeeeend?”

“Wha- No! Breeze, you know how she acts!”

“Oooo! You’re in so much trouble! Oooo!!” Haze couldn’t hold it in and started dying of laughter. Breeze did the same while Zip just kept the tired, annoyed look on his face. Though he stopped slouching and stood up straight.

Haze wiped a tear from her eye. “Aaahhh. Now!” She on a more ready look and clapped her hands together. “Where were you two heading?”

Zip was the first to speak. “Oh, we were heading to the library to drop off these papers. Well… I was. Breeze needed to go to the guard to drop off supplies.” They stopped at the library, which, thankfully, was right next to them. So all they needed to do was waltz right in there and give up the papers.

“Oh, the library right there? Well, why don’t you turn them in now?”

“That’s what we were gonna do.” 

The small group of bees then landed on the ground before walking up the steps. They could fly up there, but for some reason that baffled all of them. That was considered disrespectful and they should walk up the stairs. Despite all of them being adults, they still needed to abide by those rules. It was odd to say the least.

Opening the doors, the bees stepped inside to the decently sized library. It was a cozy place. Breeze, Zip, and even Haze held a lot of good memories of it. For some reason, it always gave off a calm atmosphere. Like after a long journey of flying, coming into this place was like a break from all that. It was a place that gave bugs the chance to relax and rest.

The library was quite big. Bookshelves looked like two-story buildings. They nearly reached the ceiling, but left a little bit of room between the ceiling and the bookshelves. And by a little, there was a lot. The bookshelves were tall, yes, but there was a gap between the top of the shelves and the ceiling.

Zip let out a small whistle, “Wow… I didn’t think this place was that big. When- when was the last time we were here?” Zip stared up, admiring the quite large library... Spinning around in the process.

Breeze put a hand to her chin, “I think the last time we were here was about… Two months ago… Because you needed to drop off a book because you forgot the damn thing!” 

“Woah woah! You don’t need to yell!” Zip puts his arms up yet again in defense, doing his best to try and get Breeze to lower her voice. He was failing miserably.

“Ugh…” Breeze shoved a hand on her face. Taking a deep sigh. “I swear Zippi, how you live on a day to day basis is beyond me.”

“It was a book! Why are you so disappointed!? It was a book!”

“Let’s get those papers turned in.” Breeze removed the hand from her face and proceeded to walk to the front desk. Zip gave chase mumbling multiple things under his breath all the while Haze was trying her damn hardest not to crack up laughing. 

Once the trio reached the front desk, Zip told both Breeze and Haze that it might take a while. So the two bees went to go explore the library, while Zip did whatever he needed to do.

The library was quite a massive one. Books lining the shelves, all tightly packed together. Not letting any inch of space be wasted. The library had books on everything as well! Bee history, general bug history, how different bug species work, the structures of Hallownest. Almost everything!

“Guess while I’m here…” Breeze decided to scan through the rows and rows of books. Trying to look for something… 

Fiction… Non-fiction… Bugs… Aw! Where is it!?

After looking through more and more rows of books Breeze flew into Haze, who was wondering why she was looking through so many books.

“Breeze, are… You okay there?”

“Yeah… I just want to find something before we leave. I know it's here…” Breeze was carefully scanning through the rows of books, saying each name of the book under her breath while rubbing her hand across the top of the shelf as well.

“Do you even know what you’re looking for?” Haze questioned. Breeze instantly stopped her movements and slowly turned her head towards Haze.

“N… No…”

“Then why are you looking in the first place!?”

“I just thought it was here that’s all!”

“Ugh… Let’s go meet up with Zip. He’s probably done with whatever he needs to finish.”

Both bees flew away from their spot in the library, finding that Zip was just about done. Once the librarian gave him the okay, he shot a quick pick-up line to her. Breeze noticed how annoyed she looked. Was Zip trying to flirt with her the whole time he was over here? 

Whether it mattered or not, the three bees flew through the doors and back into the sky. Breeze still had her box but there were only a few ways to go before she dropped it off. 

“Ah, well it was nice meeting up with you guys! But I gotta go. Couple things I need to do. See ya!”

“See ya Haze.”

Zip did his best impression of looking sexy. “You know Haze... My place is always open if you need somewhere to sleep.” He smiled.

“Zip, don’t you have a girlfriend?” Haze questions as she was looking back. Zip’s face dropped immediately as he shot back into his normal stance.

“Well, I- uhh- you know- umm- she is like- really nice and- uhh- have you- and- umm-” 

“Nice one Zip.” Haze taunted before flying off. Leaving a defeated looking Zip. Breeze patted his back before the two flew off towards Breeze’s destination.

Not much happened on the way there. The two spoke more about upcoming events, their home lives, and so on. The way there was also clear as well. Not many bees were up and moving about. Perhaps it had to do with the queen giving mostly everyone a break. Breeze and Zip, however, were a few of the unlucky ones who still had to work. Luckily this was the last thing Breeze had to do before she was done. Zip just tagged along.

Once they finally reached the entrance of the Hive Breeze approached the guard who allowed them to walk into the quarters. 

“You know. I always wondered why the barracks or whatever they’re called, were built at the entrance.” Zip questioned as the two walked down a hallway. 

Breeze readjusted her grip on her box. It was getting a bit uncomfortable with how long she’d been holding it like this. “It makes sense I guess. If there’s ever an attack happening outside the Hive, or if they need back up, the guards are right here.”

“No no. I mean like… Why don’t they build one more inside the Hive? In case any attacks make it past the entrance?”

“Zip. You do know there are more than one barrack right? When was the last time you looked around the Hive?”

Zip looked appalled. “What!? Breeze, you do know I don’t keep up with the Hive! I care more about my personal life.”

Breeze rolled her eyes. “Yeah. Pfff- personal life. Looking for dates left and right. Some personal life you got.”

“Wha- hey!” Before Zip could continue he got cut off by Breeze opening the door in front of them. The sight which greeted them was a bit… Uncomfortable.

What was bestowed upon their eyes was a bunch of sentries and guards all fighting each other. Well, most of them were fighting. Some of the others were watching the fights as well as just training on their own. The sweet scent in the air was replaced by hot sweat. It didn’t really affect Breeze, she knew this smell all too well. For a long time in her life she was really into training. Breeze was always aiming to get stronger. More powerful, faster, and just… Generally tried to join the guard.

That was her original plan, at least. But the work required to join the guard was more extensive than Breeze thought. Not only did you have to know your way around the entire HIve, but you needed to know how much force you could exert on your body before it broke, how to address different types of wounds, when to fight, when not to fight and so on.

It was a lot more than Breeze thought. So she decided to give up that dream, not that it mattered to her that much though. She quickly found other interests and activities. Since she wasn't spending all her time at school, she could hang out with her friends or go try out a new hobby or something. Breeze had felt a new sense of freedom.

That didn’t stop her from training though. She regularly went to sparring events and completed them as well, most of her time was spent in trying to make herself stronger, be it from home or in other events. The Queen herself actually noticed how Breeze fought in combat, how she went multiple battles without losing or how she never underestimated her opponent. She herself called out to Breeze, recommending she join the guard. Breeze declined of course, much to the Queen’s disappointment.

Still, she wanted Breeze as a contact. So she set her up as a runner. Someone who could carry supplies in or outside of combat, that’s what Breeze had been doing for a while. The Queen just sent out a recent command for her to take some rations and other materials to the barracks at the entrance, as well as to get ready for a meeting.

Breeze had not been expecting Zip to tag along. Speaking of Zip...

Zip… Was… Not handling the smell that well. The smaller bee had to let out a gag before he covered his mouth.

“Ugh! How do they not get bothered by this!?”

“It’s like how I was, Zip! Ahh, I missed this smell!”

“Breeze, what are you!? A masochist!?”

“Ah, are you the runners?” A new bee, much taller than Zip or Breeze, stood in front of them. They had a deep voice that rang with pride. Zip, upon seeing the tall bee, thought it was the best course of action to hide behind BreezeThe much taller bee laughed as Zip clutched Breeze’s shoulders.

“Aw, scared? There’s no point in being so! These are the people who protect you!” The taller bee looked similar to Breeze, but their neck fur ended in spikes. How they even did so confused Breeze. He also had much larger wings then the both of them, they even managed to reach the ceiling! Granted, it wasn’t that tall. But it was an impressive feat on its own!

“You’re gonna take us to where we need to go, I assume?” Breeze questioned. She wasn’t fazed by this at all, all this was second nature to her. Zip on the other hand… Yeah. Maybe it was a good thing she was here.

“Your assumption is correct young lass! Now follow me, I’ll take you into the back room.”

The taller bee did a quick hand gesture, signaling the two to follow him. Breeze walked high and mighty, proud she could be said to be on the same level as these guys. She still held on the box tightly as she followed close behind. Zip was… Not so proud. He stuck quite close to Breeze, nearly touching her back. He was a bit hunched and his hands kept fiddling with each other, his head turning like a sentry as he kept scanning the ground left and right, looking for anything or anyone that could pose a threat.

Breeze thought he was being stupid.

This was the guard for crying out loud. There was no point in showing fear. These guys protected their hive on a daily basis. What was with all the worry? Breeze decided to copy what Zip was doing, but she just wanted to check out the barracks, see how they did stuff out here.

The first room was pretty simple. It was the room they… Well… First found! It was a large open room, the middle of the room was split into three sections, each being portrayed by a white line on the floor. Each of the lines formed stopped before they hit the wall, forming boxes essentially.

Inside each of the boxes was two different bees, all of which came in various sizes and shapes. Each had their own weapon but had a different set of skills. Though, what Breeze noticed was that most of them used their hands to fight. Which was… Odd. To say the least. Last she checked, all the bees were using spears or lances. Some even chose nails!

So the fact that most of them were fighting with fists confused her. Wouldn’t a weapon be better? Then a thought entered her head. The queen might’ve issued an order to tell the bees to fight without weapons, just in case they ever get disarmed.

She shook her head, that seemed like the most logical answer to all this. Breeze turned around to see how Zip was doing. The poor bee was still cowering behind her, sticking close and scanning the room. Maybe she shouldn’t have brought him here…

Outside of the box there were other bees standing around. Some were doing regular work-outs but most were either chatting or watching the fight at hand. This was the guard she wanted to join, alright. But Hallownest was in a time of peace currently. Maybe it was a good thing she’d abandoned ship at a young age.

Pretty soon they reached a small canopy that led into a much darker room. There were drapes or curtains hanging over the small threshold. Once they walked through it the room was much darker than Breeze thought. It took awhile for her eyes to adjust, but when they did she checked up on Zip again.

He was doing a lot better. He stopped hunching over and had rested his hands at his sides. Weird… He was normally fine around those bugs. Why had he started acting up now?

Ah, it didn’t matter. Breeze shook her head as she looked around the room. She couldn’t see the walls, but there was a general light coming from one direction. Looking towards the light, there was a fire. Around the fire were small holes in the wall. Well, they weren’t that small. They were large enough to fit a bee, actually… 

Oh. 

These were the sleeping quarters, reserved for the tired or weak. She should probably move slower or more quietly now… But the bee in front of her just kept on walking. He didn’t say anything nor did he do anything. Thankfully, neither did Zip. That meant that there was this awkward silence between the three.

There was another room they were about to head into, but the bee in front made a sharp right, forcing them to go into a smaller hallway. At the end of the hallway was a door, It was a regular door, nothing unique about it. Just a plain normal door. But the door opened up to something that was much larger.

A dimly lit room met the bees’ eyes. It held a pretty large table in the middle with a couple bees around it. Breeze also noticed in the four corners of the room stood four different bees, each much larger and bulkier than her or any of the other bees she’d seen.

Her jaw dropped as she looked back at the table to see who was at the front of it all.

The bee in question looked a lot more feminine than the other bees, her neck fur seemed like it danced. It pointed down in the front, and the back was the same way. The fur also nearly touched the bottom of her head. How she lived like that Breeze would never understand. She held her hands on the table, cupping them, waiting patiently for her new runners. A soft smile was planted on her face.

Breeze scanned her eyes around the room again, looking at the four bees. Those must be her bodyguards… She thought. It was quite obvious to anyone who this was, especially if you were born in the Hive.

The bee that sat before them was none other than the Queen herself.

Queen Zifa.

After Queen Vespa died, someone else had to take her place as the new Queen. So Zifa stepped up. It took a while, but she became well adjusted to the role of being Queen and gained the respect of the entire Hive.

Well… Most of the Hive. Some bees still believed Queen Vespa’s death was a cover-up for her to become the new Queen. Of course, that was all crazy talk, Breeze really couldn't care less about the rumors.

“Welcome!”

Queen Zifa spoke rather differently than most bees. Whenever she spoke there was a soft buzzing noise that accompanied her words. She also had a tendency to replace every “s” sound with a “z.” Breeze wouldn’t call her dear Queen out on that, of course. She loved her too much! If anything, she reminded her of the Hive Knight. The closest of closest guards. He was less of a bodyguard and more like her royal guard.

Though… Thinking about it… I haven’t really seen him that much ever since Vespa’s death. In fact, I don’t think anyone's seen him. I should probably ask around once all this blows over. Breeze began to form a plan in her head. The library would be a good starting point. She heard rumors that Vespa had visited it often. So if she asked the bug there she might find some answers.

Breeze now realized she had a hand to her chin and had been staring at the ground for a good long while. Even after Zifa had welcomed her. Not the best first impression…

“O- oh!! Y- yes! Hi- Yes uhh. Th- thank you for having me be here Queen Zifa, it’s been an honor to meet you in person.” Breeze jumped once she saw what she was doing, she spoke quickly enough for everyone to understand, but it was obvious that she was just saying the first thing that came to mind. Breeze felt her face burning bright and hot. It wasn’t too noticeable but it was enough that she felt even more embarrassed than before.

The Queen covered her mouth and giggled before making a gesture for Breeze to sit at the table. Breeze nodded and continued forward. Zip also walked forward but was stopped by one of the guards. Breeze turned back around in confusion.

“Sorry. This meeting is for Breeze only. You are not-”

“Aww, Stylez! Let him through. He’z not cauzing any harm.”

“But, Queen. This is a meeting reserved for Breeze.”

“Yez. But Zhe brought a friend over. I’m zure he won’t be that much of an izzue. Come now zmaller bee! Join Breeze in our dizcuzzion.”

Letting out a whimper, Styles stepped to the side and allowed Zip to walk into the room and sit down next to Breeze. The chairs were comfortable but they felt sticky, almost like something had been poured onto them. Breeze looked down and was appalled but somehow not shocked at what she saw. The entire chair was covered in honey. Jeez, the Hive really had an obsession with honey, huh.

Realizing the box would get in the way, Breeze decided to lift it up and place it on the table. She glanced at her friend to see him blushing like an Aspid, sitting up straight and alert. His eyes were wide and focused on Zifa. Breeze shook her head and smiled as she made herself comfier. Zifa even giggled again at Zip’s behavior!

“Now zmaller one. You don’t need to be zo cautiouz! Thiz iz a zimple talk, nothing more. Zo you can relax in that chair of yourz.” Zifa pointed towards the chair before turning to Breeze. “Now…Do you know what exactly you brought in?” The Queen tilted her head, giving her a curious and playful expression.

“Heh.” Breeze snickered before putting her hands behind her head, crossing her legs. She was fine with all this. Nothing really seemed to phase her anymore. “Nothin’ much really. There’s about… 20 rations to feed 20 different bees. 40 if you can split them. Some rags, whetstones, and some other stuff to clean weapons. As well as a few books to keep the bees occupied when doing nothing.” 

Zifa nodded her head. “Good. Mozt runnerz forget or don’t even know what they’re running for. They don’t check.”

“T- that’s because it’s a part of a code. I heard you aren’t really meant to look or read what you are carrying.” Zip managed to chime in, looking at Zifa in the process.

“Well, with the box out of the way,” Breeze leaned forward, uncrossing her legs. “Zifa? Why did you bring us here?” Cutting right to the chase. Breeze wanted to know why they were forced into this room. If all Zifa really wanted was the box then she could’ve given it to the guard outside. Or she could step inside, they take the box, then they are sent off on their way. Why go through all this secret meeting stuff?

“Ah… You catch on quick don’t you?” Zifa let out a sigh. “Well… Az I’m zure you know by now, our hive operatez differently from most other hivez. Namely, every bee or mozt beez in here all come from different hivez. Zo everyone is not related to me, that would get very weird very quick.” Breeze gave her a quick nod. So it seems like Zip was telling the truth, but then why would her hive be different? She shook her head, might as well listen to what the Queen says before asking questions.

“Now, zince everyone in here haz free mindz compared to out there. I think… I don’t know, I never left Hallownest. Anywayz, I can’t force them to keep conzuming honey forever. They will eventually get zick of it, az I’m sure both of you have. That’z why I’m gonna send out a tranzport in a couple days.”

Zifa paused for a bit, letting the silence engulf them all before speaking again. “The tranzport will head towardz the mantiz village, az they produce some very tazty mushroomz that the general populouz iz dying for. They are in high demand now and I want to make sure my people get fed. I don’t know how long it will be till they get zick of honey.”

Breeze paused for a minute. This was plausible, she was getting sick of how much honey is used everywhere. But there was a question she still needed to ask. “Okay. But why us? We’re just a couple of runners, nothing too big. Why you don’t get some stronger bees?”

Zife giggled once more, smiling. “Becauze I’ve been watching you Breeze. In fact, I know you still remember when I azked you to join my guard. I wanted you to come becauze I ztill want you to be apart of my guard! That’z why.” Zifa then turned to Zip, lowering her expression for a split second. “Hold on… Have I seen you before…? I- I’m zorry zir, but I don’t recognize you.”

Zip smiled and waved his hand. “Ah, it’s nothing really. Bugs forget stuff all the time. It’s normal.” However, Zifa shook her head. 

“No, I doubt it. I know every bug in my hive, I know all their namez and what they look like. But I don’t know you. I haven’t zeen you in my life!” Zifa took a minute before shaking her head again. “It’z nothing. Like you zaid Zip. I probably forgot you or zomething. I’m zorry for not remembering you at all.” Zip then reassured her that it was okay again.

After a quick breath, Zifa clapped her hands together. “Right! Zo! That wrapz up everything I think! The tranzport beginz in two dayz. Just make zure you two are ready, yeah? Oh and Zip, you are coming along. The more handz we get, the better. Zee you zoon!” Zifa gave a quick wave before Breeze and Zip stood up. Giving her a wave back, they were escorted out of the room and eventually out of the building.

Once outside, the two said bye to Styles before waking off. 

…

…

“You know… I’m surprised you didn’t flirt with her at all! I thought you could-”

“Don’t you dare.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do feel like this chapter was written a bit better than my first one. Though it still just strikes me odd.
> 
> Again. I want to heavily thank my editor sapdsoliloquist(https://twitter.com/sapdsoliloquist) Or Dweebus for helping me out again. They really do an amazing job making sure my damn grammar is okay. Though, I don't know what I'll do once she no longer edits my works...
> 
> That's... Yeah that's all. See ya!


	3. Opinions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a couple of friends who go out to get drinks! What could go wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey just a heads up. This chapter gets a bit graphic later on, so be warned. But that's about it.

Walking. So much walking. A lot of walking in fact. Livis had never really liked walking. Well… Walking in the village that is. Walking outside of the village was a completely different thing with its own set of rules. He’s walked inside the village countless times, carrying things and dropping them off. It just got really boring after a while.

“Not too long now honey~ Only a little more.” Well, having Redd there helped a lot as well.

They er- well. Livis wasn’t assigned much to do today. Which was a bit odd. Usually, when he didn’t have much to do, that meant there was a problem with the whole village or something. He didn’t know what exactly, but he did know that something was going on.

Walking with Redd was nice. It was really different, getting a job done with a person helping you rather than you doing it by yourself. In fact, talking normally with another bug was different in and of itself. It was very weird. 

Well, Livis never really spoke much to Redd, though he more or less gave a few nods and shakes of his head here and there. Not many words came out of his mouth. Redd tried to get him to speak, but he wasn’t pushy about it. Livis just felt too scared to talk, worried that he would really mess things up. So to lower his chances of messing up and getting yelled at he chose to barely speak at all.

Redd was a bit saddened by this, but Livis thought he understood. Speaking of Redd, that damn mantis towered over him! The dude was like one and a half times his normal height! And he was so strong too! He had started carrying more boxes than Livis.

Livis insisted that this was his job and that Redd really didn’t need to help him. When Livis bent down to pick up the boxes, however, he felt a sudden blast of air all around his body as Redd picked up both him and the boxes! Redd gave him a pretty cheeky smile while Livis just stared at him. His face went bright red, and it may actually have been the first time he’d ever blushed before.

Covering his face in the process, he demanded Redd put him down. He did, still with a snarky smile.

Once Livis was back on the ground he picked up the last box and got to walking. Redd followed close by and the two set off walking to their next destination. Redd was… Weird to say the least. Why did he decide to hang out with him now of all times? Didn’t he know that Livis was the worst Wyrm-damn bug here?

Plus, there was no way Redd could’ve NOT known about him. Livis’s name was all around in the village! Everyone knew him! They all knew him for his shyness and how he actually didn’t like fighting! So why out of nowhere and after so long, Redd wanted to help him just baffled the poor mantis.

The walk really didn’t take that long. The place where they needed to reach was a lot closer than the last place he’d had to go. So that at least spared him.

Livis was so lost in thought he barely realized they’d already reached their destination. Redd got there first, being stronger and taller. When he saw that Livis was still walking he simply held out an arm which Livis immediately walked into.

“Ack! Redd w- what!?”

The sudden force that drove him back caused him to stumble quite a lot. Thankfully, he was able to catch himself in time so he didn’t fall. The box he held didn’t fall either as he managed to keep holding that thing.

“Redd, w- what was th- the matter?” Livis shut his eyes tight upon hitting Redd’s arm, but after a little bit of re-grounding himself he opened them back up, seeing the world around him.

“We’ve arrived honey~” Redd said in his usual seductive voice. But… How were they here already? Livis was sure the walk was gonna be much farther than this. How could they have arrived already? He spun the same question over and over again in his head before he finally did the smart thing and just asked Redd. He seemed to know more about this than Livis did anyway.

“Redd…? I- I th- thought w- where we had t- to go was f- farther…” It was still hard getting words out. He was not used to speaking to any normal bug that wasn’t his family.

“Are you sure? We didn’t need to go far. How often have you been out of your house, darling?” That was a good question. The places Livis usually went to weren’t that far. He didn’t really explore the village that much. So why was he a carrier of some supplies despite not clearly knowing where certain areas are? Well, he thought he got lucky.

“A- anyways… W- where do w- we drop the stuff o- off?” Livis asked as he shook his head to try and clear his mind.

“Rriiiight over here sweetie!” Redd pointed to a small spot near the building where packages were clearly meant to go and they tracked over to that spot and gently put down their things.

Redd got up and stretched. showing off his huge, shining red muscular body. Livis couldn’t help but stare for a few moments before shaking his head once more and quickly turning away. A bright red blush once again formed on his white face as he tried to hide it.

Unfortunately for Livis, Redd did manage to catch wind of this and started laughing. It wasn’t a mean laugh though, and the tall mantis gave Livis as a gentle pat on the back.

After calming down for a bit, Redd suggested that they both go somewhere since all the work for the day had been completed. Still. How little work there was confused the hell out of Livis. So doing the smart thing, he asked Redd right next to him.

“H- hey Redd? W- why i- is th-”

“So little work?” Redd cut him off but still finished his sentence. Livis nodded quickly, cupping his claws behind his head and closing his eyes for a bit, letting out a sigh.

“Well… From what I’ve heard, the Mantis Lords are getting ready for a transport. Or… A trading thing, more or less. Basically, some other bugs from a different area in Hallownest are gonna come here and they are going to trade some stuff.” Redd opened his eyes and put his claws on his hips. “I don’t know what the bugs are or why this is happening. I just know that the Lords don’t want as much maintenance now since they want the place to be pretty clean for their new visitors.”

“Isn’t it a b- bit m- much th- though…?”

“Hm? What do you mean sweetie?” Red looked down to face the smaller mantis as said mantis looked down to face the ground.

“I- I m- mean. A- aren’t th- they d- doing a l- lot to make s- sure this p- place is c- clean? L- like i- isn’t a- a bit m- much…?”

“Ah. I see what you’re getting at. Yeah… It kinda is. The Lords really don’t need to be so careful with their village. But… It is their village. So if they want to halt production and make sure the place is clean, then that’s their decision.”

“Hmm...” Livis lost himself in thought for a while. He wasn’t really anyone of higher intelligence, but he did like to lose himself in his brain for a bit. Sure, the place you rule must be clean and nice looking. But was it really necessary to stop everything?

Livis knew for sure that there must be stuff that must be done the next day! They all had a quota to meet! The Lords couldn’t just stop that quota like it was nothing… Maybe this ‘meeting’ was supposed to be really important or something. So important that the Lords would dare to stop everything, even training! To make sure everything goes right.

Well, it was a good thing the Lords were smart enough to care about how their village looked. There wasn’t that much to clean or change or anything. So practically everyone got the day off, even Livis!

How important was that meeting then? Did they really need to stop everything? Okay, now Livis was going in circles. He decided it was no use questioning himself about it and looked up. He managed to catch Redd turning around and signaling to Livis to come follow him. The green mantis quickly bounced up and followed the warrior.

The walk wasn’t one of much note really. The two mantises just paced side by side. No one really said or did anything. Redd walked high and mighty while Livis just cupped his hands and kept low. Redd knew not to do anything too brash, however. He just wanted to stand next to his new friend! Or… That’s what Livis thought anyways… 

Looking up from staring at the ground, Livis saw where they were heading. It was just a small bar area thing where mantises could go in and get a drink. Drinking was often frowned upon by the local mantises in the section of the village. But at the same time, it was accepted as it was recommended to drink as a reward after a hard-won fight in a battle or something.

It was a confusing topic, even for Livis. Though he decided just not to dwell on it, like most other things. 

“I- I- Is this th- the s- s- spot you w- w- were t- t-”

“Talking about? Yes.” Once again Redd cut him off, finishing his sentence for him. It was starting to get annoying. He probably shouldn’t say anything about it though, as this was only the second time Redd had done that.

“I want to get you something honey! What would you like?”

Well, Livis was very confused by this. Since when does some random mantis he'd never talked to before want to get him something!?

Well… He wasn’t saying no either…

“I… I… I don’t k- know... U- umm…” Well… What did he want? What drink would he like to have? Maybe some regular water? Or how about something different? Livis cupped his hands to his chin and thought about it for a moment.

He let out a ‘hmm’ as he weighed his options. For some reason, Redd actually stood there and waited for him to pick! Nobody has ever done that before! At least not anyone that wasn’t his parent or his sister!

After a little bit of waiting. Livis finally said his answer. “C- c- c- could I- I have a- a- an acid b- b- b- bugtail…?”

It was… Not the kind of drink Redd was expecting. He stepped back a bit, looking somewhat startled. “W- wow. That? Huh... Never took you as an exotic drinker…”

Really. Livis had never had any alcoholic beverages. But he’d heard a lot about this one drink and he thought, why not? I- it could be fun!

“I- I- I d- d- don’t r- really l- like to drink… B- b- but I- I’ve h- heard a- a- lot a- a- about this o- one…” Redd nodded in response. Livis thought that he too must‘ve heard a lot about it as well.

“Alright honey. Just wait right here, okay? I’ll head in and get some.” Livis gave him a confused glance but Redd just put on a gleeful expression and gave him a thumbs up before walking in.

He leaned up against the side of the building while he waited.. What else could he do? He did feel a bit tired thanks to what had been happening to him, mainly how others had been treating him. It had been hard for him to fall asleep the past couple of days… Livis rested his head against the wall of the building and slowly drifted off…

~~~~~~~

“Come on Livis! It’ll be fun!” The much smaller green mantis hopped up on a ledge, signaling for him to give chase.

“S- slow d- down M- Mushy! I- I’m not as quick as you…” Livis was following his friend. Or at least someone he thought was his friend. Apparently, he has found a sight that was stunning looking! And he was to show Livis of all things. Livis! The one male mantis with no claws. He followed his friend on the ledges.

He wasn’t someone known for his body strength. He was actually quite weak. A lot of mantises could fight him and win. But that was okay, as he could still get work done around the village and help others!!

It was just making friends and talking to other bugs that was the hard part. Livis kept noticing that a lot of other mantises really didn’t like who he was, or what he was. Sure, he wasn’t as strong or as good looking as them. But he was sure there were other kids like him!!

Livis climbed up more and more ledges in an attempt to further follow his friend. The climbing was hard. It was really hard actually. But Livis wanted to be friends with the other kids! Or at least be able to talk to someone! So he continued despite his arms and legs aching like crazy, burning with such a passion it would even put fire to shame.

It took a while but he got there eventually. With one last push, Livis climbed to the top of the ledge. The mushrooms really didn’t help much in his climb, nor did they even look nice. But despite all that, he still made it!

“M- M- Mushy? W- where are you…?” Livis looked around in an effort to find his friend. Yet he was nowhere to be found. That was odd… But he kept searching anyways.

That’s when the view of the village caught his eye. From here, he could see the whole thing! He could see everyone! The entire village (or at least most of it) was in sight!

The tiny green mantis stared in awe at the beloved sight, cupping his hands to his face as thoughts flew through his mind. Ideas and plans for what he could do about this amazing sight!

For what he failed to notice, however, was a slightly bigger mantis sneaking upon him…

The bigger mantis grabbed Livis’s head before he could even scream. The bigger mantis picked him up and slammed him to the ground, knocking all the air out of him. Livis tried to get up, he tried to face his opponent. But he was held down by two other mantises who just wouldn’t stop hitting him over and over and over again.

They did stop to allow Livis to open his eyes to try and piece together what the hell was happening!? He saw three mantises. The larger one who threw him to the ground, a much thinner one to his right, and… A- and… Mushy… To his left…

Tears flowed down his face as the pain settled in. He turned towards Mushy as he asked him a very simple question. “W- wh- what are y- you doing? W- w- why are you doing this!?”

Mushy answered back by punching Livis square in the face, forcing his head back. But Mushy still wasn’t done. Livis attempted to open his eyes, only for Mushy to force his fingers into them. He screamed out in pain as he tossed and turned around to try and get it to stop.

“Because… It’s fun to hurt fuckers like you! You don’t deserve anything good happening to you. Now be a good little mantis, and let me make it HURT.”

Livis’s eyes shot open as he jumped back, ready to flee at a moment’s notice. Quickly, he twisted his head, searching his surroundings, looking in all directions to see if anything was up. He was shaking quite badly, flailing his arms and kicking his legs outwards.

“Hey L-”

“AAH!” 

Redd flinched back at Livis’s sudden movements, finding them confusing at best. Livis, however, was ready to take off. He had his foot pushed into the ground and the other in the air, just about to make a run for it. Thankfully he recognized Redd before anything happened.

“R- R- Redd… I- I- It’s you…” Livis breathed heavily, as if he had just gotten done running a marathon.

“Y- Yeah s- sweety. It’s me. I- uhh… I’ve returned with the drinks. Are you okay there?” Redd handed out the bugtail to Livis, being very careful and making sure not to move too quickly.

Livis slowly calmed down from his position and got back to standing normally. He shakily held out one hand and took the bugtail. The sudden weight bore down on his hand as he had to stop himself from falling.

“I- It’s heavy…” 

“Yeah! Don’t you know? Those types of drinks have a lot in them~!”

“I- I n- never k- knew that.”

Livis retracted back a little bit and put the drink near his mouth, close enough to get a whiff of it. The scent was… Not… So pleasant to say the least. Redd looked on at Livis, giving a slow indication with his claw to let him drink it.

Livis looked at Redd, then back at the drink. Then back at Redd and back at the drink. 

I… I have to drink this, don’t I…?

Muttering out an “Okay…” To Redd, Livis took a quick sip from the drink. He had to force himself not to gag or pull his head back.

“So!? What do you think, honey?” Redd had a very excited grin on his face as Livis tried to hold back the disgust he felt at the taste.

“Y- y- yeah R- R- Redd! R- r- r real… G- g- good…”

Redd clapped his claws together, looking much happier. He carefully placed his drink on the small stand next to them and looked at the much smaller green mantis.

“Good! I’m glad to hear that sweety!! 'Love to hear that you enjoy it! Now. Stay right here for a moment, okay honey? I’ll be right back~”

Livis tried to call out to Redd and ask him why he was leaving. Yet either Redd did not hear him, or he was purposely choosing to ignore him. Either way, Redd just let Livis all alone on a drink stand with his acid bugtail.

He would’ve drunk more of the liquid. He was actually quite thirsty now that he thought about it. But just from the taste he got earlier, Livis chose not to and calmly placed it next to Redd’s drink as he waited.

And waited…

And waited…

To be fair, Livis didn’t know how long he waited. But it felt like forever. He got the feeling that either Redd forgot about him or just left him there on purpose. However, he decided to hold on to the small bit of hope that Redd either just forgot, or was busy with something a little more time consuming.

Livis could only think of what Redd was doing. Yet the more he thought, the more sleepy he became. Maybe it was the smell from the drinks inside, or from that tiny sip of that bugtail he just had. But Livis felt like he could doze off right here.

His head bobbed forward once… Then twice… It was about to happen again when Livis felt a large pain in the back of his head. The blow was so hard it flung him to the ground face first. He tried to get up but a huge weight just bore down on his back, smacking the wind out of him and forcing him to stay there.

He tried to look up, only to be greeted with a kick to the face from his attackers.

“Hey guys! Here he is! I told you about him!”

“Oh. Is this that mantis who likes to draw?”

“Aww, this is gonna be so much fun! I always wanted to beat up a helpless bug and make them bleed!”

“Now now. Let’s not harm him too much. Raziel needs him still awake and able.”

“Wh- wh- what a- are you g- g- gonna do to m- me?” Livis’s question was quickly answered by another kick to the face. He reeled in agony and put his face in the mushrooms to try and alleviate the pain.

“Did I say you could talk!? Do it again and you’re gonna lose an eye. UNDERSTAND!?”

Livis gave them a couple quick nods. He knew what they wanted, he knew what they were gonna do, and he hoped Redd would come back and save him.

However, Livis did not expect them to do something as unthinkable as this.

“Hey? You brought the spear right?”

“Yeah!! Here you go.”

“Good. Now right here and-”

Livis screeched as loud as he could. Searing agony tore through his body as the spear drove into his lower right leg. He yelled as loud as he could. He was reduced to tears as the pain was too much to bear.

“Would someone just shut him up!?”

Quickly, a rope was tied around Livis’s mouth, muffling any further noises he made. He struggled and moved as much as possible, but it was all in vain. The mantis on top of him was too strong for him to shake off. All he could do was sit, forced to endure the torture.

It just went on and on and on. A large spike drove into the back of his leg and just slowly made its way deeper in. He felt like this was all the pain he could possibly ever feel. There was no rest for him. There were no breaks.

Livis yelled. He yelled as much as he could, into the rope. He screamed for Redd. He yelled and screeched for Redd to come and save him. He yelled and yelled and yelled until he was coughing up blood. But that didn’t stop him. He wanted Redd, he knew Redd was there.

Redd had to save him. He just had to. Redd did say he would come right back. Livis held onto that hope.

Yet Redd never came.

Livis was bawling. Tears were flowing down his cheeks as he was forced to feel the spear slowly drag itself up his leg. Sometimes, due to the amount of blood, the spear would slip out of the bug’s hands and fly up so they would be forced to knock it back in place again and continue their way up.

It hurt. Livis begged for them to stop. He wished for them to stop. The pain was too much, it hurt it hurt it hurt!!!

But he was forced to stay there. Longer and longer and longer. His yells and cries for mercy were only met with more pain. His “caretakers” were starting to get annoyed by how much he was moving and yelling. so they would resort to hitting him in the face, arms, anywhere else instead.

Eventually Livis felt another sharp pain. This time it was in his shoulder. And it dug deep. Just like the spear, it just slowly made its way down, deeper and deeper. It forced him to cry louder and louder.

He wanted it to stop. He begged for it to stop. 

He wanted Redd to come back.

He wanted to be with his family.

He didn’t want to live here anymore.

He wanted help. 

But no help came.

…

…

…

The mantises finally took the spear out of his leg after so long. They removed the rope from around his face and laughed at him. They kicked him a couple more times before finally walking off, satisfied. Livis was too weak to even feel their punches. After an agonizing effort he managed to twist himself over and look at his body.

The back of his left leg was torn open. He could see the flesh from his body just hanging off, the muscle was exposed. Blood was seeping everywhere and the mushrooms drank all of it up. If he looked close enough, he could see bone within that muscle.

Livis couldn’t move. He lost all the energy from that encounter. The pain was too much for him, he just wanted it to all stop.

He laid back down, going limp. Flopped down on the mushroom floor, all he could do was lay there weakly as he continued bleeding out.

He wanted the pain to stop. He just wanted to get home.

He cried. Tears flew down his face as he was left laying down next to a drink shop, waiting for his death. Nobody would save him. Nobody would care for him. Not even the world seemed like it liked him.

The pain was too much. He couldn’t move the lower half of his body. It just racked on and on. So he laid there, crying.

However. Perhaps the world was not as cruel to him as it could have been.

Livis suddenly remembered the drinks Redd got for him. He looked up and sure enough, they were still there. The drink he bought, the acid bugtail, from what he heard it had a high amount of… Something in it. If you drank enough, your entire body would feel numb.

Perhaps it was time to test if that myth was true or not.

Livis reached up to grab his drink, yet the stand was too far for him to reach from his place on the ground. He was forced to sit up if he wanted any chance of getting his juice.

He let out a couple of deep breaths then counted to three and lifted himself., fighting the pain that shot throughout his body until he eventually reached his drink and forced himself back down. He had to be extremely careful not to drop any of it on his body.

He had done it! But now was the moment of truth. Livis braced himself and chugged the entire bugtail down, once more fighting through the bitterness of the taste, the awful smell, all in the hope that those bugs he’d heard a couple weeks ago were right.

Finally. He finished the entire drink and threw the cup off to the side. He waited. And waited.

And waited.

He blinked once.

He blinked twice.

Suddenly the world was starting to look more blurry and wobbly.

He started to feel his body less and less.

His plan worked! His ridiculous excuse for a plan actually worked!!!

It took a bit. He didn’t feel the pain anymore, yes. But his body just felt so weak and wobbly. He pushed his hands on the ground and with a lot of effort, lifted himself up and moved his legs under his chest. Quickly, he forced his feet to the ground and stood up all in one motion.

It worked.

It actually worked.

Livis couldn’t believe himself. He started laughing at how he’d actually somehow survived that encounter.

Leaving Redd’s drink there, he slowly put one foot in front of the other and dragged himself to his house.

…

…

…

…

It was a long walk… A VERY long walk… A lot of dragging, groaning, hiding, and forcing himself. But he eventually got there. He wasn’t even scared that his leg might be infected with something. Livis was just glad to be home.

His family wasn’t. When he finally got up to the door, he leaned on it for a little bit before taking his hand and giving a slight knock.

It didn’t take too long for one of his parents to open the door. His mom showed up and he immediately fell into her chest. She caught him instantly, thankfully.

“Wha-? Livis? W- what are… OH MY WYRM!!!!” 

Screaming into his ears, his mother picked him up and charged inside the house. He didn’t like that she had to yell like that, but he was glad she was there to help him. He was very glad, in fact, that his whole family looked quite panicked. His mother, father, and sister.

It was a weird way of thinking, but Livis thought it grounded him in some way. Seeing all his family members with scared faces running around the house looking for stuff to patch himself up with was… comforting… in a way. To him, it showed that they did care. It showed that the people who he’d been with his whole life DID care about his well being and did want to make sure he was okay.

Livis couldn’t really see much or hear anything. The alcohol was starting to wear off, and thanks to his blood loss he was starting to black out. At least it would be better than hearing all the screaming.

His sister was right in front of him the whole time. He was sure it was his sister too, she was so close he could recognize her despite his blurry vision. From what he could tell she was yelling at their parents about his well-being and how he was acting or looking.

Really… He was just glad to hold her hand.

Having someone there for you, always caring about you, always close and loving and so on.... It just felt really nice to the mantis. And that feeling is what he needed the most that day.

He felt betrayed by Redd, how he had just left him there after those mantises ambushed him. He felt used, manipulated, abandoned. He would need to have a stern talking to Redd after all this… 

If he ended up making it, that is.

Fear was starting to creep in now. He never noticed how much blood he lost, but it must be quite a bit if it was causing his whole family to go crazy like this.

All he knew was that he was on a table with his bleeding leg all the way out. So if there was anything they needed to do, his leg was out in the open. It was a good tactic he thought, if they ever needed to do something to his leg, it was always out like that.

Really. Livis was just trying his best to ignore what was happening around him.

He looked over to his sister to find her still clutching his hand and looking at him with very… Very fearful eyes. She kept yelling something at him… Though he could never hear her. He did his best to speak back.

“S- s- sister… I- I- I- love y- y- you…”

It was simple. It was very simple but it was the truth. He wanted to let her know that he loved her. He always told her this, but with something as scary as this happening, he just hoped it was comforting to her…

He would’ve focused more if he didn’t feel so sleepy, and speaking took a lot out of him. So. After saying those words, with his sister still yelling at him. Livis calmly dozed off…

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

“What the HELL were you thinking!?”

Redd flung his claws down at a green mantis, yet that simple little creature managed to dodge his attack.

“What? We were looking for some fun, and we found some!”

“My friend, you mean!? What you did to him was HORRIBLE!”

Again, he took another slash. This time a bigger target, but they just managed to move out of the way as well. Man… he must have been off his game or something.

“Aww... Don’t like us messing with your boyfriend?”

Well, that got Redd pissed.

He took another slash towards another mantis, this time managing to strike them. They let out a loud screech as his claw bore down on them. He covered the wound with his claw, however.

“I- I don’t see him that way! I just care about him!”

“Sure. With the way you’ve been looking at-”

The mantis was cut off by another slash, this time out of pure fury from Redd. Redd took back his claw and slashed it down yet again.

Doing that probably cost him his life.

A mistake he was sure to never make again.

His claw bore down on the main mantis who started this whole thing, Redd aimed for her arm. 

And cut through the whole thing like a smooth Tiktik.

Her arm fell clean off, the liquid inside her body splashed out like it was a waterfall. And she just stared at it with a horrified face as she couldn’t believe what just happened.

Then the pain started to seep in.

Just before she yelled Redd did the smart thing and made himself scarce. Running. Running as fast as he could away from the screaming mantis.

He ran and ran and ran.

He pushed other mantises out of the way, hopping over equipment and other things, just until he could finally find a secluded place all to himself.

He leaned up against the wall, forcing himself to calm down. Redd took deep breaths as he thought the situation over in his head.

Well…

…

She… Did deserve it…

Of course. He didn’t think of this right away, it took him a bit to come to this realization. But she was one of the manties who had been terrorizing Livis all the time. She was even the mantis who’d kicked him outside of his tent!

Out of everything she did… She… Kinda had it coming. 

Did she?

What he did to her was beyond mean. He took a limb off! He took her limb off! With one clean swipe! He didn’t mean to, of course! It was just out of anger!

He thought he had that thing sorted out… 

Redd took more deep breaths, trying to calm himself more from this whole problem. The breaths did help actually. Surprising. Breathing somehow makes you calmer. Amazing.

Once Redd decided he was able to walk on his own without shaking or bolting off he slowly turned around and peeked around the corner. There were only a few mantises walking around, minding their own business. 

So no one saw him.

Thank Wyrm.

Redd took yet another deep breath as he put a claw to his mouth, trying to soothe himself. Only then did he now realize that there was blood still on his claw!

Thankfully, he managed not to jump or make any sudden movements. All Redd did was take his other claw and do his best to clean the blood off. Thank Wyrm nobody saw him. It would really be quite the disaster if he had been spotted.

He… What should he do now?

…

…

Livis!

I should- No. NEED to go see him! I left the poor guy to die!

With a new look in his eyes, Redd calmly trudged through the village. He didn’t waste time provoking anyone or doing anything to make a scene. He focused on just acting like a regular, normal mantis celebrity. He should go talk to Raziel… He was the main guy to talk to when it came to work.

Besides, he probably knew where Livis lived. So by going to him he would eventually track down Livis.

Soon, honey...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More Livis torture! Yaaaaaay!  
> Anyways. I want to apologize for it taking so long for the next chapter to come out. Right after the previous one was finished, a lot of personal stuff happened, and I couldn't really write because of all that. And my editor took a little vacation to which, I'm glad! It just took a bit for us to get back into the swing of things thats all.
> 
> My amazing goddamn editor who deserves more credit than what she receives. https://twitter.com/sapdsoliloquist On Twitter, or Dwebble on the same website. Seriously, she should get most of the credit because of the work she does. If ya reading this Dweeb, I really can't thank you enough for the work you do! (^^)
> 
> Next chapter is gonna be a lot happier I swear, and hopefully it'll be posted soon! Again, a lot of stuff happened these past few months so. Yeah.
> 
> Oh. Schools out. Woo.


	4. Transport

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While it was gonna be quite the trek. She didn't care. All Breeze wanted was to be out of this Wyrm-forsaken Hive.  
> Well she got her wish. And then some!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up, I tried something different when writing this chapter. That's all.

Lifting. Today was the big day. Or rather is the big day. Today was the day the bees got together and flew off into Hallownest, led by Queen Zifa herself. Everyone was ready to fly off.

Yup… This was the transport. Or at least that’s what she expected. Most of the bees around her treated it like it was some kind of big thing when really it was… Just a transport. All that was going to happen was that the bees were gonna exchange goods with a different species of bug.

That… That was about it. Nothing much to it, just a transfer of goods. Why all the bees hyped it up was beyond Breeze’s thinking capacity. Meh, she didn’t care all that much.

Breeze was calmly in her room packing up some things for the adventure ahead. Apparently, it was just a stop to the other side of Hallownest. And since all the bees knew where they were, it really shouldn’t take that long. At least, she hoped so. She’d never been outside of the Hive so all of this was new to her.

She hoped it wasn’t too long. Zifa kept saying over and over again that it would only take a day getting to and from there. Well… Wait, what was she complaining about it taking too long?

She was excited!!! She could finally be out of the Hive! She’d been stuck in here her whole life, so finally having a chance to explore the world out there was her dream! What was she saying about it taking too long?

Breeze had a large brown pack she was filling up. She filled it with the basic supplies needed to make the trip. Some food, water, honey, a book about all the species in Hallownest, her little stuffed Mosscreep, normal stuff.

After she placed the Mosscreep in someone barged into the room, shoving the door open. Breeze jumped and stood to her feet, the noise was loud enough to scare a war veteran. She looked over to her spear and launched her body over to it. Landing on her bed, she gripped the spear and swung it around to face her intruder.

Said intruder being Zip, who was trying his hardest not to crack up laughing. 

He did anyway.

Breeze put on a disgusted face and lowered her spear. Getting off of her bed, she walked over to the bee she’d spent her whole life with.

“I hate you, you know that?”

“Haha! Awww. The look on your face, pfffff-”

And Zip just kept on laughing, covering his stomach with his hands and bending over. Breeze rolled her eyes and walked over to her pack. Picking it up as well as her spear, she slung it over her shoulder and placed the spear behind it. Walking to the threshold of her door, she turned around to face the still laughing bee.

“You know. We ain’t got that much time.”

She snapped her fingers.

“Move it, Zippi.”

Breeze walked away from her room, hearing Zip reply through his laughter.

“Y- yeah! Haha! I- I’ll be there soon!”

Breeze rolled her eyes as she traveled downstairs. Such an idiot…

~~~~~~~

“LISTEN UP!”

Breeze stood at attention. Her back was straight as she looked at the leader of her group of bees. Zip stood at her side.

“As I’m sure all of you know. You’ve all been split into GROUPS. We aren’t just traveling to the VILLAGE. BUT TO PLACES AROUND HALLOWNEST! That’s why we split you into groups. Your fellow groups will have different leaders. They will be going into different areas to trade goods. You bugs however are stuck with ME. AND WE ARE GOING TO THE MANTIS VILLAGE. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR!”

“Sir yes sir!”

All in unison. Every bee responded, even Zip and Breeze. Breeze couldn’t care less about her leader’s instructions. Instead, she let her eyes wander around to where she was. 

She was in a small building, enough to house every one of her group inside it. That’s why they were there in the first place. Breeze already knew what the leader was going to say, she’d heard it before. 

“Breeze? You uhh… You okay?”

Zip looked at her with quite the concerned look. Breeze just had a big goofy smile across her face and couldn’t stop shaking.

“Hell yeah I am!! I’m so excited Zip, you wouldn’t BELIEVE!”

“Wow... You uhh… You really wanted to get out of here, didn’t you?”

Breeze gave a bunch of quick nods before she turned back to face her leader. Now she was starting to get impatient. She didn’t care about the rules. She already knew what they all were! ‘Be safe. Don’t hurt other bugs. Listen to their leader.’ Blah blah blah. Who cared!? All she cared about was getting out of this cursed Hive!

“U- u- umm… E- excuse me…”

Breeze felt a gentle tug against her legs. Turning around, she saw a much smaller bee r. This bee was… Tiny. Like… Really small! She looked to be about half of Zip’s height.

“I- I- is this th- the group for the mantises?”

“Yeah? What, you got lost?”

The smaller bee jumped with glee. A smile was put on her face as she clapped her hands together.

“Oh yes! I’ve been looking for this group for so long! I keep getting mixed up, you know? So I’m so happy to find the right one! Oh! Forgive me. I forgot to introduce myself, my name is Bumble!”

Breeze gave a confused look at the smaller bee before speaking herself.

“Aren’t you uhh… A bit yu-”

Bumble cut her off.

“NO! I am NOT a child! Just because I’m small doesn’t mean I’m a little baby. I’ll have you know I am a fully grown adult.”

Well, she seems to believe in herself. Breeze gave a smile to this smaller bee. Bumble seemed to be filled with such energy that it was almost intoxicating. Breeze felt even more impatient now.

“YOU THERE. BREEZE.”

The taller bee perked up, shooting her head towards her leader.

“H- huh? Yeah?”

“DON’T ‘HUH YEAH’ ME. LISTEN TO YOUR INSTRUCTOR OR YOU WILL BE KICKED FROM THIS GROUP MISS.”

Breeze put on a cocky little smile that Zip knew all too well. He tried to stop her before she did anything stu-

“To be honest, sir. We already know all this stuff. Can’t we all just get a move on and get ready for departure?”

Aaaand there she went. The leader of their group had the most appalled looking face Zip has ever seen but before he could even speak, Breeze cut him off.

“Come on people, show of hands. How many of you already know all this stuff and just want to move on.”

Nobody raised their hand. However, the instructor was amazed at this bee’s cockiness.

So amazed he made Breeze fly 100 laps around the building.

…

…

“You done yet?”

Breeze finally ended her 100th lap and collapsed. Flying 100 laps was easy, no problem, but she was forced to do it at full speed which tired her out pretty hard.

“Y- yeah… I- I’m good.”

Breeze was on the ground gasping while Bumble and Zip were at her side.

“Come on, ya beautiful stream of honey. Let’s get moving.”

“Yeah. You’re right.”

After a deep breath, Breeze lifted herself off the ground and pushed her pack into place. She picked up her box of cargo and walked off with Bumble and Zip at her sides.

“Soo… Where do we go?”

Bumble asked an innocent question as she picked up her pack of cargo, Zip answered her.

“Right now? We head to the entrance of the Hive and meet with our group. Afterward, once it's our turn, we leap off of our Hive and get to flying.”

“Oh! Thank you!”

“Say… Are you sure your name is Bumble? Because I’m sure you look more like a cutie to me.”

Zip gave his best sexy smile as he looked at the smaller bee. Bumble on the other hand just stared, disgusted.

“Was… Was that a flirt? Did you just try to flirt with me?”

“It’s his way of getting a girl.”

Breeze closed her eyes and rubbed the side of her face.

“Wha- Breeze!”

“I mean. You messed up already.”

“Well I think I did a good job!”

“Hey guys! Move it, will ya!? We’re waiting on you!”

In the distance, all three bees could make out a figure and a voice. It was Haze calling to them! Listening to her words, all three bees picked up the pace and flew towards her.

“Finally. What took so long!?”

“Sorry about that, Hazy. ‘Forced to run laps around the building.”

Haze crossed her arms.

“Yeah... That’s what you get for speaking out…”

Bumble perked up.

“You said that we were holding everyone up! Well, let's get going already!”

“A- ah! Right! Follow me!”

Haze gave a woosh of her arm, a signal to follow her to wherever she went. She didn’t walk far. They just needed to get by the entrance, which didn’t take so long. Finally, they arrived. Aaaand another scolding from their leader.

“WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG!? GET IN LINE!”

Not asking questions, all four bees pushed themselves into line with their yellow partners. Yet they still stuck together. Their leader gave them a couple more commands and warnings before telling them to wait for their cue. So now all they could really do was sit tight and do nothing.

“How far is the village?”

Haze whispered to anyone who was listening.

“I heard that it was across Hallownest!”

“That far, really? I don’t have time for that!”

“Well you better make time now, you already chose to be in here… Actually… Wait, why did you want to be in here?”

Zip asked an interesting question. From what Breeze knew, Haze wasn’t the type to go out and do work. She was more of a lazy type, working only when she needed to. Still. She was a great friend.

“I wanted to be with you guys!”

Haze gave them a cheerful expression while Breeze, Bumble, and Zip simply stared back. Breeze actually facepalmed.

“Really?”

“What!? Alright, fine Bumble, why did you want to join!?”

Well this got Bumble excited. She jumped up and looked at everyone, bright as ever.

“Because I heard we were gonna leave this place! I wanted to see what was out there!”

Bumble had the widest smile on her face as she looked from Haze to Zip to Breeze. Breeze only smiled back and closed her eyes as she gave her reason.

“That was mine too. To be honest, I’m sick of this place. ‘Been here too long, ‘wanna get out.”

Breeze opened her eyes back up and put a hand to her chin.

“If possible… I would like to leave, actually. Live someplace in Hallownest.”

The reaction was… Not what she was expecting. Everyone, even Bumble, now stared at her, though with more surprised and concerned expressions.

“What?”

She didn’t understand what the problem was. Zip was the first to speak up.

“B- Breeze… You do know th- the rules about leaving right?”

Now this confused Breeze. She thought she could just leave just like that. It wasn’t like she was forced to stay here or anything.

“No…? Why? What’s the matter?”

“There was a rule set a long time ago about this.. If you were born in the Hive, your home is the Hive and you can’t leave. That was an old tradition a long time ago and it’s still relevant today.”

Haze explained why she couldn’t really leave. This was stunning news to Breeze, she thought she would just need to fill out a contract or something and then she would be able to go! She didn’t know that by leaving she would be breaking tradition!

“Well, who cares about ‘tradition’? I want to get out of this place and go somewhere. I’m sick of this hive!”

Breeze pointed to her chest to emphasize her point. The cargo she was supposed to carry was pretty light and easy to hold. She didn’t need to be that careful with it, though she would’ve liked to know what was inside.

“Well, so am I, but I don’t think we could get out that easily.”

Haze took a deep breath before looking at Breeze.

“If you wanted to get out... From what I’ve heard, the best way to leave would be to somehow sneak out. Which is almost impossible since there are guards well… Guarding the exits all the time.”

“Well, why not just dig a way through?”

“What do you mean by that, Breeze?”

Bumble asked. The look on her face showed she was quite curious as well. Maybe she wanted to leave the Hive too.

“Well… I mean like… In a secluded corner or something. Like, we take digging equipment and slowly mine ourselves out. Then, once we are out, we just block up the hole and we’re done! Nobody knows about us leaving!”

While that was a good idea, Haze wasn’t too keen on making it a reality. She shook her head and spoke up.

“No. That won't work. The guards patrol everywhere inside the Hive, even the places you wouldn’t think they check. So a plan like that won't get you anywhere.”

“No… No. There has to be some way…”

Breeze cupped her chin again and racked her brain. Closing her eyes to allow her to focus. There must be SOME way for her to get out of here without raising suspicion…

Then she had it. Like a beam of light shining down on the darkness. Breeze had a sudden realization as to how she could get out of this place. She cracked a smile before opening her eyes back up and lifting the package with both hands.

“I know that look… You’re planning something, aren’t you?”

“Maybe I am, Zip. Maybe I’m not.”

Breeze gave them a giggle before their instructor screamed out at the top of his voice.

“ALRIGHT. LISTEN UP. I have been notified that we will be leaving soon! So pack your bags and get ready! Here’s how it’ll go. First, we all get into fly position. Once we are all checked and everyone has what they were assigned with, I will start counting down. On the count of five, we all lift off and fly. I need all of you to follow me and me only. We will be making a steady path through the Kingdom’s Edge. Once we reach that area, we will be taking the most direct route to the village which will be through the City of Tears. This flight is non-stop, SO NO SIGHT-SEEING. I want to reach our first stopping point before resting hours are upon us.”

Well that all seemed straightforward. Just a route through the middle of Hallownest, nothing too fancy. They were told to study the overall map of Hallownest to get a better idea of where they were going. Thankfully, Breeze had already done that. Though she was unsure of if her friends had. 

Zip didn’t. Just going off of what she knew about him, he didn’t. Poor guy looked a bit panicked. Though she was sure she could just guide him in the right direction.

“After we cut through the city, we will end up in the Fungal Wastes. Now this area is pretty musty. Hot. Dry. And again, musty. The air is gonna be pretty thick so it will be hard for you bees to fly through. Stick close to each other and make sure no one falls behind. We aren’t stopping 'till we reach the village. Understand?”

Mostly everyone nodded their heads. 

“Eh, this shouldn’t be too hard. ‘Piece of cake.”

Haze put their hands behind her head and leaned back, dropping her package on the floor. 

“You think it’ll be easy? Heh, I have no idea how you even got in here considering you barely do anything!”

Breeze interjected, poking a finger at Haze while Zip and Bumble just stared from the back.

“Awww. What? Jealous, sweetie? Upset that you don’t have a body like mine~?”

“Wha?”

Breeze staggered back, rather appalled. Her face wrinkled into one of disgust. Even Zip was a bit surprised at Haze pulling that move!

“To be fair. Bree-”

“Alright! We’re lifting off! Stay close and follow me!”

The entrance to the Hive opened, revealing a …perplexing… environment. Breeze was stunned. This was not how she’d imagined Hallownest to be. Then again, they were only in the Kingdom’s Edge as of now. Apparently the Hive was located under the Kingdom’s Edge for… Some reason. She should ask about that later.

What she saw was rather dark. A lot darker than the bright environment of the Hive she has grown so accustomed too. Looking down, she saw… Well, the darkness. But below that, she got small glimpses of much smaller bugs. They looked to have spikes pointy things growing off of them.

They also seemed angry. Like… Vicious. Breeze thoguht the noises coming from them sounded downright pissed. Why were they so mad? Was it- 

Suddenly, a push from a heavier bee knocked her out of the sky. The power and impact sent Breeze barreling down, struggling to find her rhythm. Sadly, she was out of tune couldn’t get both of her wings to flap at once.

She fell. She fell down and down, further and further towards the bugs. Everything was happening so quickly she didn’t have time to yell or call for help. She couldn’t even see the package she was assigned to hold.

More and more. She fell farther and farther. She was pretty sure no bee had seen her fall since they were all focused on following their instructor. And again, she didn’t yell. Breeze heard the noises from those smaller bugs get louder and louder. They seemed to notice her falling towards them and are all greedily waiting to rip her apart. They hadn’t had a bee in such a long time.

Everything seemed to slow to a crawl for Breeze. Things moved so slowly it seemed unnatural. Breeze thought about her family. She thought about her life, her goals, hardships, dreams, and… Her friends. The bugs who have been with her this whole time.

Breeze closed her eyes. Trying to focus once more to get her wings to flap at the right time. But no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t get them to flap in sync. It was like she was a broken record, out of tune, and forced to repeat the same act again and again.

She opened them to a sight she never dreamed of. A bee was moving faster than time, at least to her. Someone was racing down to grab her. Time was moving at a crawl, yet they seemed to move faster than light itself. She moved as fast as she could--which wasn’t that fast--to reach out a hand. Something for the bee to come grab her with.

Wait… Could they even hold her!? She knew she was light, but she was average weight for a bee. And that bee looked too frail to her. Maybe they couldn’t-

“Gotcha!!”

Breeze hasn’t noticed that the bee managed to shoot their arm down and grab her hand, breaking her fall in an instant and reverting time back to its normal state.

“Wha!? Who-”

“That was close… Way, WAY too close. You okay there, Breeze?”

Breeze looked over to see her savior. How did they know her name…? What were-

“ZIP!?”

Breeze was star-struck. How the hell did Zip come and save her of all bugs!? The more she thought about it the less it made sense. Wasn’t he in the back? They all had their own places to be once the liftoff began. Breeze was in the front and Zip was in the back. How…?

And that still begged the question; how did he even catch her? She was falling at such speed she couldn’t even recover in time, plus she didn’t scream! She made no sound! Maybe a gasp, but that was virtually silent compared to all the wingbeats! How did he…?

“Y- yeah! M- me.”

“How!? Wha!? H- how did you come save me!?”

“I saw that you were falling. And like a good friend, went to go save you.”

Breeze swore she saw sweat drip down Zip’s face, but that didn’t matter. She was saved from death! He… He actually saved her!

“Zip I- I…”

With no words to express her thanks, Breeze wrapped her hands around Zip and gave him a pretty tight hug. Which, in hindsight, was a bad idea since they were still flying. But Breeze didn’t care. She also gave him a gentle kiss on his soft furry head, and of course he blushed after that.

“Y- y- yeah… U- u- uhh… Ahem. L- lets g- go find y- your package, e- eh?”

Breeze nodded and took flight again, unwrapping her arms as the two looked around for Breeze’s cargo. They didn’t have to look far as the brown package was sitting neatly between two rocks. 

“Ah, here it is!”

Breeze went over and unlodged the package from the rocks, making sure not to fall this time as she carried the box in her hands. Turning around she saw the rest of her friends. Er- partners. She wasn’t sure about Bumble yet.

Haze and Bumble looked bewildered, like they had just seen a ghost. Both of them were carrying their side of the cargo however, so that was a good sign.

“Hey! There you are! Zip, where the hell did you go!? I saw you shoot forward in a blink of an eye! I had to take a minute to even realize you flew downwards!”

Well, Haze was the first to speak, and her words made the most sense. Even Breeze was confused as to how Zip had managed to save her.

“Well, I- heh… I saw Breeze get knocked over by some brute. ‘Saw her fall. So I went to go help her.”

“At that speed? Psh, yeah no. You wouldn’t move that fast unless there was something that could kill her.”

“Likely so!”

And Zip moved out of the way to show Haze the nest of bugs below the two of them, howling and yelling with such anger. The beasts were hungry. Hungry and angry that they couldn’t chew on the bees in front of them. 

Haze took a step back… Well more like hovered back in surprise, and Bumble just cupped her hands against her mouth, clearly horrified at the bugs below.

“See? I told you. She could-”

“Yes, yes, she could’ve died, I know. Let’s fly up already so we don’t accidentally fall in there ourselves!”

Gripping her box closer, Haze was the first to fly up and reach the entrance of the Hive again. Zip, Bumble, and Breeze soon followed, though Zip stayed below to make sure no one fell again. Once reaching the entrance, Breeze took a look around to get her bearings.

“So… Where… Where did they go?”

“Wait- we can’t get in back in the Hive!?”

Bumble seemed a bit panicked after realizing that. She flew towards the door and started banging on it. 

“Bumble. You know they don’t let outsiders in right?”

Haze was right, sadly. Yes, their Hive was unique in that they were a mixture of a bunch of different bee species. But after the infection took place, the Hive sealed itself off from the outside world. Even after the virus passed, they still held true to their rule and let no one in. Unless of course, it was someone who had a symbol from their Hive. If they slid that under the door, then and only then, would they be allowed in.

“Well.” Breeze let off a sigh. “I’m sure we all studied the map and we all know where to go right?”

…

…

“R- right guys?”

“All I know is that we need to head to the mantis village in the Fungal Wastes.” 

Zip spoke up. At least he knew their destination. Breeze facepalmed.

“Alright… Well… Since I was the only responsible one who read the damn map, I’ll show you guys where to go.”

Breeze put on a stronger grip on her package and flew upwards. She knew they were somewhat down and needed to go up. Why they built their Hive below the Kingdom’s Edge she would never know.

“Now… From what I understand we have to head up for a bit, then take the first turn on the left.”

“So we just stick to the left?” 

Zip questioned. Everyone was getting their cargo ready, shifting it into more comfortable positions. Haze gave a thumbs up to Breeze once she saw everyone was ready. Breeze just nodded in return and led the charge.

“Basically.”

Breeze shrugged as she flew up. Flying higher and higher, further and further from the place she once knew as ‘home’ and into the unknown. None of them had ever been outside in Hallownest, so this was all new to them. Breeze made sure to check behind her every now and then to see if the others were still following her.

After a bit, the group of bees finally made it to the top of… Wherever they were. Probably the top of the Hive. There was a small doorway, big enough for all the bees to fit through. Once crossed, Breeze’s eyes lit up at all the sights around her.

The place was covered in a white substance. She’s never seen this material in her life! And neither had her friends and companion either. Breeze couldn’t help but drop her package and rush towards the nearest pile of this white… Thing. Just to examine it.

Thankfully, Zip was close by and he caught her package. If he was any slower, the box would’ve fallen into a green pool.

“Hey Breeze! Watch whe-”

But Zip’s words couldn't cut past Breeze’s excitement. She had been waiting for this her whole life! Finally being outside the Hive and exploring the world around her. It was like a dream come true! Breeze got on a ledge and stared into the pool, making an “Oooo!” Sound. She watched her reflection wobble and change in the water.

“Hey Zip! What do you think this stuff is!!??”

“I- I don’t know. But I- I don’t think you should t-”

“OW!”

Breeze recoiled her finger and shook it, trying to get the rest of the liquid off of her hand. 

“Wh- what’s wrong!?”

Haze was the first to fly over to Breeze. Bumble soon followed. Both of them dropped their packages onto the ledge as they looked Breeze over.

“B- Breeze! W- what hurt you!?”

“Oh calm down, it only stung a little. It was this liquid right here.”

Breeze pointed to the green substance below all of them, bewildered. How did a simple liquid do such damage?

“I touched it, and the second it landed on my finger, it burned like fire! Aw, that’s amazing!!”

Her eyes sparkled as she stared at the others in glee. Clear excitement shone in her eyes, but the others were not amused. Zip put on a bored expression and grabbed his cargo once more.

“Ugh… Can we just get a move on? We’ve been separated enough as it is.”

“O- oh! Yes yes!”

Breeze quickly took her package and leaped into the skies. She followed Zip for a while, but he slowed down to let her take the lead, knowing that she knew the way to the mantis Village. The group flew past more and more of the weird white stuff. Some of it was being collected on these weird branches.

“Hey, Breeze? What’s that?”

Haze pointed to a pretty large being just minding its own business in the sky.

“I… I have no idea. But it’s huge!”

“How about we just ignore it for now? I- It might be of danger to us.”

Bumble had a good point. And despite Breeze’s lust for knowledge of the outside world, they had to get going. The group took a side passage away from this huge flying creature and continued up, eventually passing another liquid and reaching their destination.

Where they needed to go was a small cave. Well… It was large enough to fit one of these flying creatures, but it was small nonetheless. The 4 bees finally landed and Bumble stretched her wings a bit, walking forward into their next area of interest.

“So… Where are we going now?”

Haze perked up. That was a good question. Breeze brought up the mental image of the map she had saved in her memory. Thinking for a bit, she responded:

“The… The City of Tears. Yeah. That’s where.”

“The hell? Why is it called that?”

Breeze shrugged.

“Beats me. ‘Parently that was the name it was given after the fall of the king.”

“Hm.”

Eventually, they reached what appeared to be the outside of… Some sort of station? There was no one there thankfully, so Breeze stepped out into the city. When she walked out, she felt something hit her entire body in a repeated process.

She tried to look up, but she had to cover her face with her hand as the liquid would get in her eyes. The liquid this time didn’t hurt. But was more of an annoyance? Soon enough, Zip, Bumble, and Haze all came out into the city as well.

“Whats… What’s this? A new substance?”

“Pretty sure, Haze. But at least it doesn’t hurt like the other one.”

“Yeah. But I would just like to know what it is, Breeze.”

“It’s called rain!”

The 4 shot their heads to someone new. There was another bug standing under the building next to them, near the bench. They were quite small and young, plump too. ‘Didn’t look like much of a fighter. Breeze assumed they were a child, just judging by their size.

“Who are you?”

“My name’s Addy! What’s yours!?”

Their voice was quite high and excited. Perhaps they’ve never seen creatures like them before?

“Well, I’m Breeze. This is Zip. Bumble. And Haze.”

“Heya!”

“Sup.”

“Hello!”

Addy’s eyes shone as she clapped her hands together.

“Oh! A- are you guys the bees that were traveling through here!?”

Haze responded almost immediately.

“Yeah! Have you seen them!? We were a part of that group, but something happened and we kinda lagged behind.”

“I’ve seen them! They all looked so mean and powerful. Nothing like you guys! You 4 look like fun!”

Suddenly Addy jumped back.

“Ack!!! You should go catch up with them soon! They left this place a while ago!”

“Really!? We need to move then!”

Breeze was about to take off when Bumble grabbed her. She looked down the much smaller bee in confusion.

“Can we… Just… Look around this place for a bit? Sure, we’re a bit behind, but that doesn’t mean we’ll never reach them! Look around at this city! It’s beautiful!”

Bumble had a point. The City of Tears was truly stunning. This… Rain. As Addy called it. Was around the entire city, engulfing it in this weird, moist mist. It was… Soothing to say the least. The city had natural colors of blues, purples, and… Well, just those colors. But that just made the place feel all the more lively.

It was huge as well. Even from where they were standing, they could see what was beyond the small station they were at. Tall buildings could be seen just… Standing there. Being another victim to the rain that was pouring down on it. But that didn’t seem like it was a bad thing.

The whole city, or at least from where they could see, just felt so calming. Breeze wouldn’t mind if she was able to just stay here for a couple of days. She might get bored of it eventually, but for now she loved it.

Looking in the distance she could see some other beings flying around. Were they bugs…? Or were they something else? Some of them seemed to just be flying, while others had something in their hand. Breeze pointed to them and asked Addy.

“What are those?”

“Oh, those are the local guards! They help protect this city and make sure nobody does anything bad!”

“Wait. So they're bugs?”

“Of course!”

“Hey? D- do you know what that huge thing was back there Addy?”

Bumble pointed back towards the way they’d come.

“You mean the Booflies? Those huge, squishy bugs?”

“Those are also bugs!? How!? They look huge and useless!”

“Aww, Haze! Don’t speak of them like that! They look cute!”

Bumble put on a happy expression before Addy spoke up.

“Yeah! They’re really nice too! They don’t speak our language, or at least only very few do. But they understand what we’re saying and they’re so kind! They help out a lot with transporting items and things. And I love them!”

Addy looked like the most excited child she has ever seen. Bumble looked just in awe at all of this. She seemed to be just as excited as Addy. Addy raised a hand to signal for the others to follow him.

“Come on! I’ll show you how to get to the village! It’s not that far, honest!”

The small bug ran off into the darker hallway. Breeze shouted for him to wait but soon caught up. The same could be said for Zip, Haze, and Bumble. Once they finally matched each others speeds, Addy started talking about the history of the place, acting like an improvised tour guide.

Breeze barely paid any attention to the world around her, too engrossed in listening to Addy talk about the city. Instead of looking where she was going, Breeze instead chose to admire everything the city had to bring her. The rain, the buildings, how the people are mostly quiet out in the streets, the tired but relaxing atmosphere.

She loved all of it. And Addy helped a lot by talking about the history.

“Apparently there was a time where only two... No… Three sane bugs roamed the streets of this land. Well… More like two-and-a-half. There was the hero of Hallownest. The relic collector, and… The… Th- there was another girl, but I don’t know her name. You’ll have to take my word for it.”

Three sane people, huh?

“Why were there only three? Or two? What happened to everyone?”

“You mean you don’t know?”

Breeze gave Addy a confused glance. She looked at the other bees who seemed to mimic her thoughts. 

“No. We don’t know…? Know what? What were we supposed to know?”

“The infection!! Haven’t you studied that? It happened 10 years ago!”

All the bees looked at Addy like he was some kind of maniac. Zip was the first to speak up for the others.

“What… Infection?”

Thankfully Addy was more than excited to explain to the others what ‘the Infection.’ was. Performing a little hop, Addy put on a pretty big smile and raised his hand as he prepared to go on another lecture. Breeze was more than interested, though Zip couldn’t care less, trying to drown out his voice with the rain.

“The Infection was an orange virus that ravaged this place long, long ago. Well… It was only 10 years. That wasn’t too long. B- but still! From what’s been recorded, the Pale King wanted to try and save his people from this virus. And this virus was from another Higher Being called The Radiance-”

Breeze interjected, waving her hands around to try and get the small bug to stop speaking for a moment.

“Wait wait wait, hold on. Pale King? Radiance? Higher Being? What do you mean by all of this, Addy?”

And thus, Addy talked about the entire history of the city. Well, not just the city but Hallownest as well! Breeze listened intensely, as she was dying to find out more about the world around her. Being cooped up in that tiny Hive drove her nuts! Finally being outside and being able to breathe in the new air and meet other bugs was amazing!

Hallownest’s history…was…quite… Disturbing, to say the least. They didn’t have books like these back in The Hive. From what she overheard from the last Queen, they didn’t need to have such books. Why learn about the history of the outside kingdom when they would never leave the Hive? So she got rid of them all. Other species of bugs and villages could be found, however.

They walked on and on and on. Addy’s voice just kept going and going. Zip was getting pretty annoyed at this point and was instead looking for things to do, or at least something to distract himself from the tiny bug who wouldn’t shut up. He turned to Haze, who shared his expression. 

“Then what about the Pale Being? Who were they?”

“Oh, him? He goes by Ghost! He’s still around, actually. Same with Hornet.”

“And who’s that?”

To be frank, Zip had to admit it was amazing seeing how much there was outside of their little HIve. Though he didn’t care too much about the history or story of places. Only the thought of exploring them interested him. Haze shook her head sadly, as if she was able to read his thoughts. Zip responded with a ‘please?’ expression and Haze just frowned and shook again.

At least Breeze was having a good time. Hey… Where did Bumble go?

N- no seriously. Where did she go!? 

“Guys?”

“So that’s when Ghost met Hornet a- Yes?”

“Hm? What’s up, Zip?”

“Where’s Bumble?”

...

Somewhere. In another place in The City of Tears.

Drip, drip, drip.

A tall bug laughed as she skipped out onto the cold stone path, gathering strange looks from others as she relished in letting the water splash onto her shell.

For someone as threatening as Laplap appeared to be, the look of joy she gave to the ceiling too far above was of childish wonder, the steps she took to avoid harming smaller bugs graceful like a dancer’s. Would they think of her as strange? Yes. Would she care? No, so long as she wasn’t being thrown into a circus.

Too bad it was such a pain in the ass when she tried to pass customs. She even had to get someone to help her fill out official documents that restricted her from using her claws while within city grounds. And the gall security had to mistake the sap she carried for Lifeblood! Just because it glowed the same way didn’t mean that it was literally the same stuff…

Still, it was pretty much worth it, and she was finally able to see this magnificent city for herself. Like back at home, where some buildings were built to withstand the rainy season, Laplap could tell even with her limited understanding of architecture that the spiraling buildings were built to last against the constant dripping. She wandered past many sewer drains that let out a steady gurgle as she explored the city. She knew she had to do her duty, but she could allow herself some free time. This was a literal entire kingdom she was talking about, compared to her home. She could afford to satiate her curiosity of this new world around her.

That of course meant that she also had to try out the food here, mostly because she was starting to get hungry. After an awkward conversation with a local bug, she stepped into the building they had referred to as a restaurant. At least it smelled nice in here, though the other bugs gave her stares as she got one of the provided towels at the entrance to wipe the runny tribeswoman paint off of her face. Grabbing a seat near the window and putting her heavy claws onto the chair next to her, she sighed, lightly touching her paintless horns. How did one get food in this place? Did she have to walk up to someone and tell them what she wanted, or would she be approached at her table to talk about it?

Though she was sinking into a sea of thoughts, she was pulled out by two bugs talking a bit too loudly to be completely private: The conversation topic had become something entirely different as soon as she gave her name to the lady that approached her for her food order.

"Hey, did you see the bees?" "Of course I did! You?" "Nah. I was busy at home doing things. I didn't really get a chance to look at them." 

Bees? Maybe they could help with the one she’s looking for… But what in the world were bees?

"Apparently they were heading towards the village." "The one with all the mantises?" "Yeah, that one." "Why?" "Beats me." 

Her food was taking a little longer than she was comfortable with anyways. She decided to get up and walk over to the source, two pillbugs at another table next to the window having drinks. With nothing to lose, she chose to jump into the conversation and politely cleared her throat. 

"Pardon, but what do you two mean by these… Bees?"

Once the two had gotten over their shock at her tall figure, one of the pillbugs cleared his throat. "You didn’t hear about it?" Laplap shook her head. The smaller bug let a sigh as he crossed his arms. "For some reason, there was a pair of bees that passed through the city. It's a real big deal to even see one since they’re super traditional and stay in their hive. Everyone’s been talking about this ever since they appeared.”

Well, that would be something to be excited over, though it was a bit confusing. Didn’t most traditional tribes stay exclusively in their territory? Still curious anyways, Laplap decided to ask some more. "What do these ‘bees’ look like? Do you know where they went?" The pillbugs glanced at each other, aware of her complete lack of knowledge. "They’re these bright yellow bugs with black stripes. Some have fur on their necks, but most of them just have hairy heads. Last we heard, they were headed to the mantis village just past the gates." One of them nodded their head in the general direction, just vague enough to be mostly unhelpful.

Laplap leaned out to look out their window but just saw a mess of buildings and more bugs. She let out a small sigh but gave the two a smile instead. “Thanks for the directions.”

The smell of fresh vengefly meat alerted her to the plate of steamy vengefly roast brought in from the lady earlier, so she rushed over to and grabbed the plate, pening her mouth and shoving it in as fast as she could. She handed her the pouch of geo from the strange she’d found rocks outside before entering the capital with a big gulp.

“Your services are greatly appreciated!” She yelled, getting her belongings and booting it out of there, the lady and other patrons staring after her as the door closed. She once again had the rain tap-tapping on her as she ran to where she hoped was the direction he nodded at. Might have been entirely wrong, but it was worth a try.

At least they were kind enough to tell her what these “bees” looked like.. And according to them, they stuck out like a sore claw.

…

...

“Guys, I’m serious.”

Breeze instantly put on a feared expression. How could they lose one of their kind!? Did she run off!? Was she captured!? Haze gently put a hand on Breeze’s shoulder, causing her to jump back. Only to see that it was Haze.

“Hey hey, calm down there. She’s smart. She’ll find us, the Hive, or the Village eventually, okay?”

“B- b- but it was Bumble! She’s tiny! Who knows what could happen to her!?

Breeze couldn’t help but think of different situations Bumble could get herself lost in! Maybe someone took her, or she got lost! Or she was being attacked! Or worse! At this point, Breeze started to breathe a lot faster, something Zip took instant notice of since he’d been around her the most.

Running right up to her, Zip put both of his hands on Breeze’s shoulders and looked directly at her. Taking one of his hands off of her shoulder, he lifted her head up.

“Breeze, look at me okay? You need to calm down. Look at my body, match your breaths with mine, okay?”

And Breeze did exactly that. She stared at his face, then looked down towards his chest, and back up at his face, making an attempt to try and match how it was moving.

“Better?”

“Y- yeah…”

Zip directed her to the nearest bench and sat down with her. Haze and Addy looked over with confused expressions. Though Zip gave a quick wave of his hand which meant ‘I’ll tell you later.’ After a little while, however, someone bumped into Haze, forcing her to take a few steps and bounce into Addy.

“Ah! Hey!”

“Oh! Sorry sorry sorry! I’m looking for someone!”

The weird creature backed up and put her arms in a defensive stance, waving them back and forth Her giant claws were a bit… Dangerous to say the least. She waved those things back and forth like it was nothing! Zip shrunk back a bit into the bench. Those claws… They just… he shook his head, standing up, and spoke to the weird creature (who was taller than him.)

“And what is this someone you were looking for? I can help you find them, after all. I won’t turn down such a pretty lady.”

“Actually I’m looking for you!”

H u h ?

Sweat seemed to drip down Zip’s face as he looked at this… Bug. She was… Interesting to say the least. With how she looked and all.

“I- W- ha! W- why I’m flattered I would be sought out by someone so beautiful!”

“You’re a ‘bee,’ right?”

“Why yes I am! ‘One of the rarest bugs in Hallownest. Some scientists say that we shouldn’t be able to fly! Though, I don’t know why they would want such a sexy bug to not have the power of flight.”

Zip pulled a few poses, trying to look as ‘handsome’ as possible. Breeze couldn’t help but facepalm. Haze cut in Zip’s speech, reaching the bottom of this girl’s goal.

“Yeah- just ignore him. You said you were looking for a bee, right?”

“Yeah! I heard there was a ‘transport’ coming through town! And I’ve never seen a bee before. So I wanted to see what they look like!”

This time, Breeze spoke up, leaning on the bench and crossing her legs. She took out a hand that had its palm face up.

“And who are you?”

“My name is Laplap!”

That’s… Well… No- Breeze can’t deny it. That was the strangest name she’s ever heard. Who names their child Laplap? What? Were they just looking at their lap and thought that would be the perfect idea for a name?

Okay, maybe that was a bit too harsh on this girl. After all, she did come all this way to find them. ‘Might as well indulge her a bit. Breeze stood up and crossed her arms, getting a good look at this ‘Laplap.’

Suffice it to say… How she looked was nothing like what Breeze had seen in Hallownest. Then again, she’s never been outside her hive before now. Laplap had a black head that ended in three points. Near the top of the points were glowing blue lines. Speaking of blue, her eyes were also blue. Entirely blue in fact! With another blue bubble? Above her eye, yet smaller, and another one, but smaller.

Her body was an orange shell. Once again with blue lines going through it. Her tail matched that with one of a mantis tail she’s seen in a couple books, yet a much darker color. And finally, finishing it all off, Laplap had ginormous claws that started at her elbows and went past her hands! Everything else on her body was black.

Suffice it to say... This was one weird bug.

“Well, we are these ‘bees’ you were looking for. Most of us have a yellow color with black lines. That is also our fur. We have antennas on the top of our heads, and some of us have brown neck fur. Like this one.”

Breeze pointed to the fur on her body. Laplap stared, letting out an ‘ooo!’ noise. She cupped her face, looking in awe at these wonderful creatures.

“My name is Breeze, and this is Zip and Haze. As well as Addy, who we just met not too long ago.”

Breeze pointed to each bug in her presence and Laplap waved happily to all of them. Before Breeze could say anything else however, Haze chimed in and alerted Breeze to something very important. She grabbed her shoulders, shocking Breeze as she turned to face Haze.

“Breeze! We wasted too much time! They’ve probably already reached the village at this point! Or maybe even gotten past it! I know talk is important and all. But if we don’t reach our group, we’ll be locked out of our Hive!”

Zip instantly took flight, though he looked at Laplap’s claws and shuddered. He shook his head and quickly shouted at Addy.

“Where’s the exit to this city!? And how do we get to the village!?”

“O- over there! Y- y- you’ll see a- a huge o- open door. F- follow the bridge and make your way down. If you start seeing mantises, you’re on the right track.”

Well that couldn’t be any vaguer. Still, though, Zip gave him thanks before beckoning the others to follow him.

“Wait! Can I follow you guys?”

Haze turned back to Laplap. She spoke without thinking. 

“Sure! As long as you can keep up!”

And before long the four were speeding off into the distance, moving bugs and things out of the way as they raced to the village. Addywatches them go with quite a curious expression.

He looked down to see himself fiddling with his hands. That was the first time he’d ever talked to a bee… And they kept saying that bees were mean bug-eating creatures… Wait ‘till he’ll show them wrong!

~Here's an image of what Laplap looks like, since it's a bit hard to explain:

(Drawn by Oreo. Link to her Tumblr is in the notes)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember me? Yeah I'm still here. Anyways, like the first chapter, I'm not too keen on how this one turned out. It was probably thanks to me experimenting with my (still developing) writing style. But hey! We got to meet someone new! A Pagkama named Laplap.
> 
> As always. Here's a link to y beautiful editor sapdsoliloquist [Or Dweebus on Twitter.](https://twitter.com/sapdsoliloquist) She's awesome I tell ya. Hope that new rug fits for ya!
> 
> Here's a little fact:  
> Bumble was planned to be apart of the story. She was supposed to with the group as they fly towards the village. However. Due too some unjust events, I can no longer contact her creator, which is also why I removed the tag. Soon enough, I found someone to replace Bumble, that bug being Laplap. 'Made by Oreo. [Her Tumblr to where you can find her](https://ghost-has-acquired-oreos.tumblr.com/) While Bumble was fun for what I had planned for her, I do feel like Laplap fits her role a lot better.
> 
> Hey look! I figured out how to do links! :D  
> AND post an image! WOOOOOOOOOO-


	5. A Broken Mirror

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And thus.  
> A miracle happens.

Rushing. The four were flying as fast as they could to get to the village. Er… Well, three of them were, anyway. Laplap couldn’t fly. Or at least the others didn’t think she could. Zip led the way to the village, using his knowledge from Addy to hopefully try and find the wooden structure.

Though… He just… Couldn’t get Laplap out of his head. Why, out of everything that had happened, would he be thinking of her? He shook his head as he turned another corner at bursting speeds. 

The others followed and turned said corner in their own ways. Haze bounced off a wall, Breeze spun herself elegantly and dashed towards Zip, and Laplap used her long claw to swing her over.

Those Claws! Agh! Zip closed his eyes and cupped his head. Why now!? God, those things were just…

“Zip, look out!!”

Breeze shot herself forward and caught Zip in the midst of his little crisis. He was about to run head-first into a wall. It wouldn’t have killed him, but it would have knocked him out for a long time. She grabbed the bee and pulled him back, almost making him drop his package.

“A- ack! Breeze! W- what?”

Breeze smacked him on his head. “You dummy! You nearly charged headfirst into a wall!” Zip, after recovering from the smack, rubbed his head and looked up at Breeze with an apologetic’ expression.

“I was too wrapped up in something. I- I had something going through my mind!”

“Was it a woman?”

…

“Maaaaaaaybeeeee…”

“Hey! You four!”

Laplap, Zip, Breeze, and Haze all turned to look in the direction of the new voice. It was coming from a… Green creature. 

“Oh! It’s a mantis.” 

The other three bees looked towards Laplap, clearly confused. “Wait… That’s a ‘mantis?’” Haze questioned. Laplap responded to her question with a nod.

“Yeah. Though the ones I’m familiar with are quite different than this one-”

“I’m still waiting, you know!” The mantis yelled. They crossed their arms, showing off their extremely sharp claws. Something none of the bees expected. Zip shuddered and tried to look away for a bit, though eventually the four of them went down to come closer to the mantis. “Finally. Now. Who are you? And why are you so close to our village?”

Breeze was the first to speak up. “Oh! We’re part of the group that was supposed to travel here. You know, the bees who were carrying a lot of different materials?” Breeze slowly moved a hand to grip the spear still attached to her back. Luckily the giant metal pole was still there, in case anything went ‘off the rails’ so to speak.

The mantis thought for a little bit before responding, closing his eyes. “Oh. You mean those bees. Yeah, they did just come in here a minute ago. But how do I know you’re with them?”

“We also carry packages.” Breeze held up her box. “We were late because a little mishap happened back at The Hive. And then something happened in the city, which lead us to take her with us.” Breeze pointed to Laplap, who waved quite quickly and smiled, saying “Hi!”

The mantis looked at the package, touching it with his claws to see if anything was wrong with it. It just looked like a normal package. He nodded his head. “Alright. You can come in, sorry about that. A lot of things have been happening and we were told to play it safe.” Breeze nodded and gave a small signal with her hand, allowing the others to walk with her. The mantis paid close attention to Laplap however… 

Once they were finally inside the village, a smell overwhelmed them. It was something like… Cooked mushrooms. The place was pretty humid as well. Why in the world did the mantises decide to build their village where a bunch of mushrooms were? And a place that was so hot and uncomfortable?

Nevermind that. Breeze shook her head. Now was the time to look for their group. She looked up and scanned the entire area around her. The village was huge! There were buildings and structures everywhere! They were all wooden for some strange reason. It was a huge contrast from the city they had just left, and an even huger change from her Hive. Everything there was basked in honey.

Though, unlike the Hive or the city, the village seemed… A lot less sturdier? Like the structures just seemed much less balanced then the others Breeze had seen. But maybe that’s what it just looked like from the outside. For all she knew the wooden beams and such were placed in the perfect positions to not have the buildings fall in on themselves.

Here she was, not even seconds into the village, and she was already pointing out the problems. Nice going there, Breeze. She shook her head. She needed to find their group, and fast. Who knew how long they’ve been separated?

She shook her head once more. Where-

“Hey Breeze! What if we ask one of the mantises here?” Laplap spoke up, breaking her out of her trance. She did bring up a good point… Asking one of the mantises here would probably point them in the right direction. She looked up, scanning the village again. Speaking of mantises, there really weren’t that many out.

Breeze stepped a bit closer to the group of bugs she’d been traveling with. “You know… Why aren’t there that many mantises out? Shouldn’t they all be excited to finally see someone of a different species come into their village?”

Zip crossed his arms. “Nah, from what I heard. These mantises work under a certain rule. That rule being that you must show your worth to earn their respect.” Breeze was about to ask another question, though Zip cut her off before she could. “And you must fight the Lords themselves and beat them in combat. Or at least that’s what I’ve read. Turns out, only very few people have ever beat the Lords. But that has been the rule for a while now. ‘Don’t know about now.”

Haze had on a dumbfounded expression. “Zip, how do you know all this?” Laplap just scanned around the village in the same way Breeze had been, looking over everything with a...worried expression? Breeze couldn’t tell, though it definitely seemed like it.

“What? I’m not stupid! I know my stuff!”

“Psh, yeah sure.”

“These… Aren’t the mantises that I know.” Breeze turned her head to Laplap, surprised.

“How so? These were the ones in the books.”

“No no. Where I come from, they are like monks.”

“Monks? ‘The hell’s a monk?”

“Someone who’s-”

Laplap was cut off again, by Haze who was pointing to something pretty far off in the distance. What everyone saw was a large span of yellow. Yellow and black. Well! Looks like they’d found their group. Breeze immediately lifted off into the air and gave another signal to the others to follow her. Too bad Laplap couldn’t fly.

The four of them quickly ran through the village. Breeze now saw where most of the mantises were. Some of them are outside patrolling and doing things, but most others were held up in their homes looking out the windows at the strange new bugs that were passing by.

The same could be said for the guards and Breeze couldn’t blame them. Seeing a bee was one of the rarest things in Hallownest, since they were all cooped up in their Hive due to their own cultural rules.

Breeze shook her head. She was gonna break that rule. Sooner or later, she would break out of that Hive and fully explore this land known as Hallownest. She might need help though… 

She now just realized that it sounded like she was planning to breakout of prison.

Well, wasn’t she?

Finally, the four reached their group of bees that they left so long ago. Breeze, Haze, and Zip had only just now realized the distance they traveled and just how tired it made theme. Adrenaline really messes with your body, though that wasn’t always a bad thing.

One of the bees recognized Breeze, and quickly the others rushed into the fray. “B- Breeze!? Zip!? Where’ve you guys been!?”

“Someone knocked… Me… Down into the… Spikes things. A- and Zip helped me…” Breeze replied as she tried to catch her breath, which was a lot harder than it looked. Thankfully Laplap filled in the rest of the story. How could she talk like it was no big deal?

“Afterwards, they met me in the city and we’ve been rushing to meet up with you guys ever since!” Laplap clasped her hands together and gave them all a pretty happy expression. Breeze thought she was just happy to meet more bees. 

“Well, what are you guys waiting for?” The other bee spoke up, and that confused everyone. “Didn’t you hear? The leader has been looking for you!” 

Well, shit.

Breeze snapped her gaze upwards as they grabbed her arm and started dragging her through the mob of other bees. Normally she would have a problem with this, but the four of them did need to see their leader. At least it was a good thing they got there on time. Who knows what would’ve happened if they’d taken any longer? 

The three bees took flight and flew through the crowd, Laplap following. Some bees tried to stop her, but she was too nimble for them and eventually made it to the front with the others.

All the bees were gathered in front of a pretty large hut. It was bigger than all the structures in the village. Though those were only the structures that she has seen so far, so there might be more. Nevermind that. She waited for Laplap to catch up before the four of them opened the door to the hut.

Well, it was less of a ‘door’ and more of a drape.

The hut was pretty dark. There was only a faint amount of light in front of them, which Breeze assumed it was a lantern. Though it could be a fire since it was red-

“Breeze, what the hell are you doing? Come on!” Haze was right. She needed to move. She snapped her attention towards the light and the four of them dashed to meet it.

What laid in front of them was a brown table with a few boxes set upon it. There was the leader of their little group and the Lords themselves! Breeze took caution when approaching them, walking slow yet holding herself high and proud. Thankfully the others followed suit.

Except for Laplap, who was curious around the whole place and kept looking back and forth.

“Ah. There you are. Set your packages down over there. It’ll only be a quick discussion.” Zip, Haze, and Breeze did as they were told and placed their boxes by a wall of boxes. Jeez, just how much did they carry? Once they were done with them they went back to the table. “Who’s this?” Their leader pointed to Laplap.

Haze was the first to speak up. “Oh. That’s Laplap, we met her in the city and she wanted to see us, since not many bugs have ever seen a bee. Plus we were kinda in a hurry soo…”

Their leader immediately met them with a pretty angry stare. “Didn’t you know we weren’t supposed to let anyone follow us!? That was one of the rules, you know!” He turned to face the Lords. “I’m sorry. They aren’t usually like this. They must’ve missed that explanation by mistake.”

The Lord in the middle, who was the shortest, raised her hand. “No worries. We understand.” She seemed like the youngest of the three. The one to right of her was a little taller, and to the left of the smallest Lord was the tallest one. Breeze assumed their age just by their height. She didn’t know why she thought of it like that, it just seemed like a good idea.

“Anyways.” The leader scratched his head. “Our original plan was to drop the materials off and leave this village with our goods. But it would take them quite a long time to unpack and place everything where it needs to be placed, so they want us to carry the packages to their set locations. Since we are bees, we can fly and get there faster.

I want you, Breeze, to take that package over to the fighting sector. I trust you enough to take it there since I know you are one of my top bees. The materials are fragile, so I want you to be as careful as possible.” The smallest Lord interjected into the Leader’s speech. adding in her own bit of information.

“Over in the same sector. My mantises there are… Not the best… Per say. They do their job great and are reliable. but some of them aren’t… Well behaved. So you might come into some trouble on the way there.” She spoke with a calm, high voice. Well, if it wasn’t obvious enough, she really was the youngest of the three.

“I understand.” Breeze went over to pick up the package she needed to carry. “Where do I need to go?”

“Head outside. One of my followers will point you in the direction.” Breeze waved thanks to her before flying off.

“Now. Zip. Despite your… Problems. I trust you enough to take the second batch of fragile materials over to the opposite sector Breeze is going. You shouldn’t encounter any ‘hurdles’ on the way there.” He pointed towards the box Zip needed to carry and the young bee picked it up like Breeze had.

He started to walk off, but stopped midway. “Uhh,- sir. What about Laplap?”

“What about her? She needs to leave the village immediately! There was no purpose in her being here! I’m sorry miss, but you need to leave.” Once again, the youngest interjected, holding up a hand.

“No. She can follow the young bee if she wants. It’s good to give him a bodyguard. ‘Seeing as he doesn’t seem to have a weapon on hand.” Zip thought the Lord was impressed by the claws Laplap was carrying. He stared at her weapons for a small moment before snapping his head away, trying to hide a shudder. Thoughts and images ran through his head as he thought of those claws. Before it got any worse though, he was interrupted.

“Hey, Zip? You okay?”

Laplap placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, which caused him to perk up in a fraction of a second. “Y- yeah! Yeah… I- I’m good.” Not wanting to cause any more of a scene, Zip whispered “L- let’s get out of here.” and quickly walked out with Laplap following.

“If I may ask, my Lords. Why did you send that unplanned variable with one of my men?”

The youngest spoke in a soft tone. “I trust my mantises. They are some of the best bugs I have ever seen. Though, they are unpredictable when there is no one to guard them or report their actions. They could do something to hurt your bees. ‘She’ seemed like someone who could protect that young bee. Again, I didn’t see any weapon on him. Plus, something must’ve happened between the four of them to have that creature join them. So they must have a good relationship or else they would’ve done something.”

The leader nodded in agreement. Haze knew however, that he was just agreeing because if he didn’t things would look bad both for him and his species. “I understand. Now. Haze.” He turned to face the last bee there. “I entrust you to hand out the rest of the materials we brought here with the other bees and mantises. It is your job to make sure each bug has a box and is carrying it to their right location.”

“B- but sir! I don’t know where they need to carry the equipment to!”

Now it was the leader’s turn to raise his hand. “No worries. I trust you enough to find out where they need to go. We have more to discuss, so I give you the role of De facto Leader.” And with that the leader and the Lords stood up and walked out of the light into a place unknown.

“What!? Sir! I-” But they were already gone. “AGH! He always does this! I swear! I could do a better Wyrm-damn job than him!” Haze started picking up a package and moving outside.

\------

Zip was calmly walking through the village with Laplap in tow. He would’ve flown there, seeing as flying is much faster than walking. But at the same time, Laplap was following him and he didn’t want to leave her behind.

Sure, he could fly and get there faster, but that would force Laplap to play catch-up and just be a mean move in general. 

Plus that meant he could pull off a few moves.

“Sooo…” Zip leaned backward. “How’d you get here, sweet stuff?” He gave her a small wink. Laplap put a hand on her chin.

“I came here from my society a while back. Something happened, and I was sent out to find a suitor who can meet my needs. Once I find them, I will return to my society with the suitor in hand.” Well, this got Zip interested.

“A suitor, you say? I’m sure it wouldn’t be too hard. Although... How many men’s hearts have you crushed with that winning charm of yours?”

Laplap cocked her head a bit. “Crushed…? I wouldn’t kill a man. That’s awful!”

“Ah, no.” Zip rubbed the back of his head. “That’s not what I meant. I’m just confused as to how such a beautiful charming lady would have such a hard time finding a suitor.”

“Well, I have to make sure it’s the right one, of course. I can’t just pick a man and run with it. I need to know if they’re trustworthy or not.”

“Really? Because I’m sure everyone would fall for you the second they look into your gorgeous blue eyes.”

“Oh no, they are!? H- have I been hurting people all this time!??” Zip put a hand on her shoulder.

“No no, of course not. The only thing you’ve been hurting is my heart. Because I can’t get enough of you.” Laplap immediately grabbed Zip and lowered him to the ground, taking the box and placing it aside gently. Zip let out a high-pitched scream.

“By The Maternal! Zip, j- just stay there! Listen to me, okay!? Breathe in and out! L- like this!” And Laplap mimicked how to take a full breath, but a lot slower. 

“L- Laplap I’m fine! I- It was a flirt! I can breathe normally, see!?”

“A- are you sure!? You just said your heart was hurting! Oh no… Zip did it just stop hurting!!!??? W- WE NEED TO MOVE YOU NOW!”

“LAPLAP MY HEART NEVER ACTUALLY HURT IN THE FIRST PLACE I’M OKAY REALLY!”

“ARE YOU SURE.”

“YES!”

…

…

“Phew… That’s a relief.” Sweat poured down from the much taller bug. She took a hand and brushed it off. “You scared me there… What were you even saying anyways!?”

“I- It was a flirt! Y- you know… Those things people do when they’re trying to impress someone?”

“A flirt…?” Suffice to say Laplap had no idea what a ‘flirt’ was. She looked down and touched Zip.

“Uhh… What’re you doing…?” Slowly, gently, Laplap rubbed her hand across Zip’s bare chest, moving almost at a snail’s pace. She felt it rise and fall as Zip breathed in and out. There was a small pulse. A tiny bump pushed his chest up here and there.

“L- Laplap…?” Despite Zip’s obvious whine Laplap continued her hand movements, now climbing further over Zip and covering more of his body with her shadow. She pressed her hand into his extremely soft fur, relishing in the softness of his body.

Her movements became even slower. Laplap took her time feeling Zip as she brushed her smooth hands up and down across his furry chest. She wasn’t doing anything violent or intimidating, yet she still had Zip under her hold. Eventually her hand movements settled into a steady pace, never going faster or slower. Just this simple action of almost petting Zip had quite an effect on him.

“A- ah!” He was forced to let out a soft noise. It was quiet, nothing loud, certainly not a scream. Just a noise. Laplap seemed too focused on his body to even pay attention to his voice. All she seemed to care about was feeling his body. She focused on his fur, touching as much of it as possible, moving her hands over all of him.

At times, she even went close to his legs. And it was that spot that Zip was most worried about. If she ever touched there just a small bit more, only Wyrm knows what happened. He let out another noise as she brushed across that spot once again. What was he doing? He could easily push her off! Yet… He felt trapped. Her hands had some sort of hidden force behind them. 

Or it was just the way she was feeling his fur. But from the looks of it, she might’ve wanted something more. Zip just felt so intoxicated by her hands. Again, there was just something about them or the way she was using them that forced Zip to be stuck there. At times she brushed across that spot every now and then, and each time he had to let out a high-pitched keen.

This was starting to get really embarrassing. Zip’s face was growing brighter and brighter by the minute, and yet. He STILL couldn’t do anything! If anything, he was a bit scared by what she would do next. Again and again, she continually rubbed her hands across his chest, slowly. Ever so slowly. All this was becoming a bit much, but once again, what could he do?

And then her hands went lower. Towards the more softer parts of his body, yet at the same time, towards more of his sensitive locations. He waited for her next actions as Zip tried as hard as he could to keep his mouth shut. His body wanted him to let some sounds out to ease the tension. But who knows what that would lead to next?

He waited… And Laplap…

Hugged him.

“Your fur is soooo soft!!! How do you even make it that soft!? I’ve never felt anything like it! I- I couldn’t even think for a moment as I was touching it! Aw, I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable, that wasn’t my intention at all! I really like your fur! Like I said, I’ve never felt anything that soft in my life! I couldn’t control myself!”

She felt something warm on her chest. Lifting Zip away from her, she saw his face. “Why is your face so red and hot?”

Zip covered his eyes as he moved his head away. “L- l- let’s j- j- just g- g- get one w- w- with our a- a- assignment…” He stood up and collected the box. He only waited for a moment before walking off.

“Did… Did I do something wrong?”

/\/\/\/\/\

And off she flew. Really, being the “Best of the best” didn’t mean much when you’re sent out on boring missions like carrying a Wyrm-damn box across a bunch of houses to place it somewhere.

You know, now that Breeze thought about it. Why was she sent out alone to go carry this thing? Why couldn’t they have sent someone along with her, or hell, a group of bees or something.

None of this made any sense. It just seemed like a huge waste of time! “Agh! He makes no sense. Why send only me out to do this?” What, did she need to somehow sneak through an army of mantises that were going to attack her or something? Was there a group of mantises who were super against bees, and she needed to be sent alone so as to not arouse suspicion? 

Breeze was only really thinking of all this stuff to pass the time. It was quite boring lugging this box from point A to point B. There was nothing to do. She wasn’t sure why she packed so much if they were just gonna gun it from their Hive to the village.

Breeze let out a yawn, stopping for a moment as yawning could have something fly right into her.

And in this case...Something did!

While she was just hovering a spare rock was flung into the air slamming into Breeze’s wings, knocking her off course and sending her falling to the ground below. The rock was sudden. Out of nowhere. She did vow to herself that she would find whoever threw that rock at her and teach them a lesson!

She was quick enough to catch herself from falling to her doom. She spread her wings out, gripping the air before flapping one to spin herself around, finally settling herself upright so she could get her bearings.

It was a shame that the ground was closer than she thought.

She landed right smack-dab in a clump of mushrooms. They had grown quite high and there were a lot of them, enough to conceal her from everyone. But they did help her, having broken her fall. “Ugh… When I get my hands-” A voice spoke up.

“H… Hello…?”

It was faint. Quiet, like the creature was scared to proceed or interact with something they just saw...Or heard, more or less. Breeze remained in the group of mushrooms, though, her movements were slow. She moved her hand from the ground and towards her spear that was behind her. Thankfully, through everything that had happened, that spear had somehow managed to stay attached to her pack.

She managed to grip the spear and remove it from said pack, feeling the sharp end carefully to make sure it wasn’t blunt.

The footsteps got closer. Softer. Quieter. She knew what they truly wanted now. She predicted that her enemy pretended to be an innocent scared bug who heard something but walked away soon after. However, their footsteps gave them away.

”Yeah… You’re not escaping me…” She taunted the intruder in her brain. All Breeze needed to do was to wait until the perfect moment, then leap out and attack! Spear to their neck! She couldn’t kill them, however. Who knows what would happen.

Closer… The footsteps came closer…

Then there was a rustle in the grove of mushrooms. They stuck their hand through the mushrooms to try and grab her. Psh, idiotic mistake.

Breeze grabbed the hand and leaped out! She flung her spear to her attacker and shoved her feet into their chest. Causing enough force- 

The mantis went down a lot sooner than she thought, surprising her. No matter. She threw their hand to the side and pointed her spear at them. “Don’t you move!! You’re going up against a trained VETERAN of the Hive’s army! One who’s been chosen by the QUEEN herself! So I recommend you behave!”

The mantis below her was… Male? No- female. She didn’t have claws. Breeze knew that much. However, she was… Quivering? Maybe it was a trick! She pointed her spear closer. “I know your tricks! This whining and crying isn’t doing you any good! So why don’t you wh-”

“P- p- please don’t h- h- h- hurt me! I- I- I- I’m sorry! I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry! I- I shouldn’t b- b- be out! B- b- but Raziel t- t- told me to g- go someplace! P- please d- don’t hurt me! I- I’m sorry!! N- not a- again!”

This… Mantis...struck at Breeze’s heart. The poor girl must’ve been mistreated if her fear was anything to go by. It was almost like she expected a beating. ...Wait! This could be another trick!

…

No. I- it couldn’t be. Looking at her eyes, there were genuine tears. She was scared into the next world. Breeze took a longer look at this mantis, slowly taking her spear away from their neck and glancing over their entire body. This mantis was covered practically to the brim with scars, cuts, bruises, bites? And… Oh… Wyrm h- her leg… It was poorly stitched together, but Breeze could guess how large that wound must’ve been when she received it. There were still bloodstains on her skin. The cut was large and crooked. It wasn’t a clean slice. There were still skin pieces just hanging there, flaps that weren’t tied up with the stitches.

This… All this pain and suffering brought a tear to her eye. And it hurt Breeze more when she realized she nearly attacked her, giving her even more trauma than she already undoubtedly had!

Oh, Wyrm… How long had she lived like this? Breeze holstered her spear back in her pack and put out her hand. The gesture was a lot more kinder and softer than before. She put on a gentle smile and a soft voice. “I… Apologize for attacking you. I didn’t know you were someone innocent. I’m really sorry miss…”

The mantis stopped crying, but they looked up from their hands. Breeze hoped to Wyrm she wasn't just gonna run off the second she got the chance to. She decided to push a little farther anyway.

“I don’t mean any harm to you, miss. Everything that happened was a mistake and I truly thought you were here to hurt me. I’m sorry.”

“Y… y…”

…

…

The mantis recoiled back in fear. “No no. Take your time. There’s no reason to be scared, I won’t hurt you.” Breeze reassured. 

…

…

“Y…”

…

“Y… You…. M- m…”

…

“Mean… I-....”

…

…

“It…?”

Breeze gave a gentle nod. “Yeah… I’m a bee, see? Not a mantis.” It was a risk. But she knew the mantises lived a pretty isolated life like the bees. So from that she assumed she must be getting hurt by the other mantises. She reached out farther and the mantis recoiled a tiny bit more. “I won’t hurt you. I promise.” If she wanted to (which she didn’t) she would’ve done it by now!

…

After a long time of waiting, the mantis finally reached out towards Breeze’s hand shakily. Very shakily in fact, like she was expecting Breeze to trick her somehow. Once she touched her hand, she recoiled pretty hard. Though Breeze didn’t move, she just remained in her stance waiting patiently for the other to grab her hand.

Eventually the mantis did so, clasping her hand around hers. Breeze gently closed her hand and lifted her up. Seeing the other mantises, she expected her to be quite tall!

Breeze turned out to be a lot taller than her.

That was… Odd? Usually the females were taller than the males. Or so she’d read. 

Breeze gently put a hand on her back. “Hey now… There’s no one here to hurt you. And I’m here to protect you.”

“W- why…?”

That was stunning, to say the least. Now it was Breeze’s turn to recoil. “W- well, because you’re hurt! And you look like you’ve been in a lot of pain and suffering. I want to help you as best as I can.” She wanted to get to know this mantis more. And why she was so hurt and limping and so on. A name was a good place to start. “Let’s begin from the… Beginning I guess. My name is Breeze. What’s yours?”

…

…

…

“L… Livis…” Livis looked down. She didn’t dare to make eye-contact. She was hunched over. Her arms drooped down and she was limping. Every action she took tore at Breeze’s heart. What happened to her? Why did this happen? What could Breeze do to help her? Livis immediately tried to walk normally at a brisk speed, but winced pretty hard.

“Hey hey hey. Take it easy, okay? You don’t need to rush. Just take it nice and slow. Alright?” And Breeze saw… Actual… relief in the mantis’s eyes. A breath of air pushed out of her mouth as she slowed down. Though as soon as she looked over at Breeze she started to shake heavily again.

Breeze put another hand on her. “Shhh… It’s alright… I won’t hurt you… You can take as long as you like, miss. And you can talk to me. Nobody’s here.”

“I- I- I’m a- a- a male…”

“W- what?”

More fear shot towards Livis’ eyes. And once again, Breeze reassured… Him. “Soo… You’re a male mantis… With no claws?”

“Y… Y… Yeah…”

Well, this was surprising. Here she was, with a male mantis who had hands and no claws. For some reason. Maybe it was a birth defect? Most likely, however... That feature was the reason, or at least the main reason, that caused him so much pain…

“Hey. Come help me find my package, okay? I uhh… Kinda dropped it in the mushroom grove thing.” Breeze decided to be a bit playful with this mantis. The poor guy had clearly been through a lot in his life, so why not meet a bubbly bee?

/\/\/\/\/\

“Jeez… How far do we have to go?”

Zip complained, which really wasn’t like him. He wasn’t one to whine about things. But this whole journey really tore at his wings and a break would really do him some good right now.

“They did say it was pretty far…” At least Laplap was next to him. After what happened before… Zip wasn’t gonna try to put the moves on her. Not yet. Whenever he thinks about it, however... “Zip? You’re blushing again.”

“I- It’s just h- h- hot in here! Th- that’s all!” Laplap let out a little giggle. Did she know what Zip was thinking of? O- of course not! She was dense as a Belfly! Zip shook his head and cleared his throat. “A- anyways… You said you came from a village, not from here, right?” He waited until Laplap stopped giggling.

“Yeah! We follow a god named ‘The Maternal.’ They created everything. Me, our species, where we lived. And so on. As I’m sure you know. Due to… Reasons… I was sent out to find a mate.” Zip raised his eye in confusion. 

“A… Mate…? I mean, we’re pretty feral. But we aren’t that feral.” Zip brushed the back of his head. “We’re a pretty normal type of bug. We’re not like how we used to be, way back. As you can see, we have a pretty big civilization…” Zip trailed off once he looked at Laplap’s face, which seemed to get more and more pissed as he talked about Hallownest. Sweat poured down Zip’s face as he quickly changed the subject. “L- let’s talk about something else, shall we? Like how Breeze wants to leave the Hive so bad.”

Thankfully, that worked. Laplap let out a sigh as she cupped her chin. “That’s something that’s been bothering me for a while now. Why can’t she leave?”

“It goes against culture.”

“What?”

“It’s true! Back when Vespa was still alive, she wanted the Hive to be more ‘Bee-centric.’ Really, what she wanted was to seal the Hive and make it so nobody could come in. Sh- she’s a great Queen, don’t get me wrong! But all Queens have their flaws. She kinda brainwashed everyone to believe that being stuck in the Hive for your entire life was the way to go.

“Thankfully. Zifa- who is our new Queen- is trying to get that rule abolished so that any bug can come in or out of the Hive. Problem is! Vespa has been in our life for so long, and her actions have done so much. A lot, and I mean a LOT of bees loved her. They worshiped her like she was a god, I mean- she was that good! She did have a partner, and that was someone who only falls under the name of The Hive Knight. Poor guy grew up without any wings.

“Yet somehow he managed to win the heart of our beautiful Queen. Kay- I’m getting off track here. Point being, Vespa did a do, and now half of the Hive agrees with her and the other half doesn’t.”

“How bad is it?”

“Oh.” Zip flung his hand forward, waving her off. “Psh, it’s not that bad. We’re not at each other’s throats or anything. Just a lot of yelling and screaming from everyone. Me personally? I’m for opening up the Hive. I’ve been cooped up in there for so long, I would really like to see some new places.

“Hell, Breeze has had enough of living in there too! She told me and Haze that she wanted to escape somehow. We agreed of course. I mean… I don’t like living in the Hive, but I don’t want to risk my fur for being caught leaving.

“A- ah! Forgive me! I’m ranting.” Laplap put her hands up in a motion of defense.

“No no! You’re good! This all just seems interesting to me. Hell, this whole KINGDOM is interesting to me! Just like you, I’ve really only been living with my society for so long! So getting out and seeing the world is almost like a breather. I do love them though, and once I find that mate, I’m going right back to them!”

“Well, you have your mind set, don’t ‘cha?”

“Yup!”

“Hey! You two!”

Zip and Laplap stopped their conversation to look towards the new voices. Two mantises were walking towards them. One was male, and the other was female, who carried a spear. “What’s ‘ya business walking through here!?” 

“We were told to take these items-” Zip lifted up the box. “-And transport them here. Or, someplace around here.”

“You sure? ‘Cuz I’m sure I didn’t hear from anyone one higher up that a bee and weird knock-off of my species would be transiting through these parts.”

“U- uhh… W- we can take you to your Lord! We have her word!” Zip couldn’t help but stare at the mantises once they walked closer. More specifically, their weapons. Those claws looked like they could cut a Crystal Crawler clean in half!

“Oh sure. ‘Like that’s not an obvious trap.” Both of the mantises pulled their weapons in front of them. They were both ready to engage in combat. It was a shame that Zip didn’t carry anything threatening, or he would be able to defend himself against these bugs.

“H- hey g- guys. We’re not trying to cause any harm, o- okay? We just want to deliver a package.” Maybe an attempt to. ‘Put on the moves with that girl would help. “Hey, sweety. You know y- you’re uhh… Q- quite uhh… Sharp with y- your looks.”

Yeaaaaaah. That did nothing.

Zip couldn’t help but just stare at those claws. They looked too, TOO sharp. Same with the spear! What- how were they made? How did they even get to be that sharp? His body started to move on its own. He started shaking and he slowly lowered the box, placing it on the ground before lifting himself back up and holding his hands a bit up.

“L- l- look… W- w- we w- won’t d- do you a- any harm-” Zip was cut off by the male mantis grabbing him and throwing him against one of the village walls. Zip had his eyes closed when he was speaking, the mantis moving at a speed so fast even Laplap couldn’t see him.

Speaking of Laplap, she predicted something like this to happen. Seeing the female mantis run towards her, she thankfully had her claws handy. Well, they are attached to her elbows. Huge ones too! They covered a lot of ground and could be used as a shield. Too bad this young mantis underestimated Laplap’s ability to fight.

The mantis struck first, or rather Laplap let her attack first. She swung her spear downwards, though at a safe distance. It seemed she wanted to perform an attack that was strong enough to hurt but safe enough that she wouldn’t get hurt herself. Laplap saw it coming and used her claws to block the attack. Less block and more bounce, Laplap pushed her claw upwards to fling the spear in the other direction. The mantis lost her footing and stumbled back a bit, allowing Laplap to perform her attack.

Rushing forward, Laplap took her right claw and sliced the mantis’s chest. Not a deep cut, but enough to cause some harm. The mantis flinched back, clearly taking the hit and staggering because of it. Laplap simply walked up and kicked her. Not too hard of course, but enough to send her to the ground. ‘Poor girl must’ve been really inexperienced in combat.

There was a scream that rose behind Laplap, one of fear and terror. She recognized the voice as Zip and spun around to try and find the small bee. He was being beaten in a corner by the male mantis with much smaller claws than she had.

Well, she wasn’t gonna let that slide.

She walked up to the mantis, but her footsteps crunching on the mushrooms didn’t really do a great job of hiding the sound considering the fact that the mantis turned around immediately and saw her sneaking up on him.

He lashed out without giving Laplap that much time to react. She had just enough time to block their claws with her own. The mantis knew he wasn’t going to overwhelm her this easily, so he flipped around and tried to get to her back. He lashed out at one side of Laplap, which she easily blocked. But that was just a distraction for him to run over and get to her backside.

Of course, Laplap knew fighting all too well. She took the bait, allowing him to take his own dessert so she could have her dinner. Spinning the opposite direction, she slammed her claw into his body. The mantis didn’t see it coming, nor did he see the light of his own village once he hit the wall. He was knocked out instantly. 

Well, these bugs weren’t hard to fight at all. All of their attacks were predictable and easy to see coming. Were they still in training, perhaps? Laplap didn’t know, but that wasn’t important. What was important right now was Zip.

Finding the bee wasn’t too hard, as he was clad in full yellow and was whimpering in the corner of a small house. This was… Not what Laplap was expecting, to be honest. She’s seen the bee normally, how he acts and all. Did the mantises scare him somehow? 

No matter, she approached the smaller bee, walking in a brisk but slow pace, she held her arms out. “Hey Zip? You o-”

“SH- SHARP!”

“Wha?” Laplap looked down at her arms, seeing the claws behind them. One of them had some blood on the end. “Yeah? They’re sharp. But I won’t hurt you with them.” She moved a bit closer, which caused Zip to cower more and cover his face in fear. He let out a scream, his entire body shaking.

Zip was crying. Crying, shaking, screaming. Scared. He was trying to back himself further into the corner that he was at, trying to get away from Laplap and wherever he was. What the hell happened to him?

She’d never seen someone act like this before. How did all this happen? His scream of the word ‘sharp’ then tore itself at her mind. Laplap looked down to see her giant claws. One of them had a small bloodstain at the end of it. Thankfully, Zip didn’t see it. Perhaps hiding her claws would make him feel better? She detached her claws and tied them to her back, something she normally did in a place that wasn’t hostile, or if they started weighing down on her arms.

“They aren’t here anymore, okay Zip? I’m not here to hurt you.” Zip painfully looked up from crying in his hands. Looking at Laplap, he slowly moved his head from arm to arm, scanning them up and down. After he was done that he shakily took a step forward. Then another.

Laplap did as well, though she hesitated, trying not to startle Zip. But before she could even get a step in, Zip ran up and hugged her. He was still shaking and probably crying, but he wasn’t screaming anymore. Zip hugged her pretty tightly, Laplap was a bit scared that he would break the claws she had holstered behind her.

The two of them stayed there for a few moments, Laplap letting Zip wrap his arms around her, and her doing the same to the little bee. She hugged tightly back, encasing the bee in her arms. She brushed his soft fur, being mindful of his wings as she rubbed her hands across his back. She felt tears on her shoulder as Zip continued to shake. Closing her eyes halfway, Laplap rested her chin on Zip’s head. Whatever scared him was gone now. She was here. 

Heh. This was nice.

/\/\/\/\/\

“Th… Th- th- this i- i- is where I w- w- w- work…” 

Despite being quite a ways away from her main group of bees, Breeze was sure she could spend a couple minutes getting to know this little mantis. “Huh… No offense. but it looks pretty run down.”

That actually got a chuckle out of him. “Th- th- th- the w- w- wood n- n- n- needs t- t- to be r- r- r- r- replaced…”

“Oh? So are you saying it’s rotten?” Livis nodded his head up and down. Yet he still chose to not make eye-contact with Breeze. She couldn’t blame him. “Psh- What? You mantises too ‘proud’ to leave your village for supplies?” Once again, Livis nodded.

“Ha! So you are stuck here living for your entire life, in this village?” Once again, Livis nodded. Yet this took Breeze off guard. Instead of responding with more laughter, she was actually a bit disturbed by this. “Wait- You’re not kidding?” And again, Livis nodded. “You mantises. A tribe so prideful and so egotistical...that you can’t go out to ask for more wood?” Livis nodded. Again. “Are you kidding me? That’s worse than our Hive!”

Livis looked up towards Breeze, glancing at her for a second before ducking his head away in a mere instant. “Wh… Wh… H- h… How…?” Breeze looked down at the little mantis.

“Well. We are stuck living in our Hive because it’s ‘Tradition.’ ‘Some stupid tradition if I ever heard one. I want to leave, actually! Hallownest just seems so much more vast and interesting than my Hive. You can only learn so much in the Hive. Frankly, I don’t know how people do it.” 

Livis only continued to look down and nod as she was speaking. “Come on, Livis. We still have to deliver this package.” Livis looked up towards Breeze again but glanced away in an instant when they locked eyes. 

Breeze couldn’t help but smile and giggle every time Livis did something like that. It was cute! She put a hand to her mouth as she laughed a little bit. “Come on, you.” Breeze then started to walk to her destination with Livis in tow.

“O- oh! I don’t mean to force you or anything! If you want to leave me and go, you can do so! Really!” Livis shook his head. Breeze let out a sigh. “Alright, if you say so. But just know that you can leave me at any time, okay?” And Livis gave her a nod.

Quiet one, he was. Never really spoke unless he had too. Not that there was anything strong with that of course. Breeze did want to crack open that shell of his to see or hear everything that he was hiding. But she knew she couldn’t do that, seeing as how fragile he was.

What was she saying? She wasn’t going to spend that long of a time with this mantis! All she was doing was dropping off a package, flying back to her gang of bees, and going home!

So why did she want to talk to him more?

That was weird… Something felt off. Really off. Breeze had never felt this way… No, she has. She only felt this when she first met Zip all those years back. Maybe it meant something? Ah, she didn’t know. Might as well speak to the little guy more.

“Sooo… What do you do for a living?”

“D… D… D… D- d- draw…”

“Draw? You’re an artist? Isn’t that looked down upon in the village?” Livis gave a nod, but this time was different. As he spoke right after! What a surprise! 

“I- i- i- In th- th- this… S- s- s- sector…” Breeze gave a tilt of her head.

“‘This sector?’ So you’re saying the village is split off into other sections?” Livis gave her another nod. “So- okay. This sector is used for combat and fighting, judging off of how many weapons I saw here. Am I correct?” Another nod. “Right, and other sectors are doing different things. Like there’s one for making or gathering food, one building structures, and so on.” Another nod.

Breeze realized how much of this was sounding like her Hive. But worse, since the mantises had to deal with all this humanity and the Lords being too selfish to open their village.

She put a hand to her chin. “Ever thought about leaving?”

This made Livis flinch a bit. He never made eye-contact with her once, always looking into the ground. Though this time, he seemed lost; he seemed like he was looking for something. He failed to find it, as he shook his head with hesitation. And uncertainty “N… N… N- no…”

“Really? Judging by the look of things, I think it would do you a lot of good if you left this village.” Once again, Livis shook his head.

“N- no… I- I- I- w- w- would n- n- never… D- d… Desert m- m- my L- L- L- Lords…” Breeze wasn’t so sure about that. Everything about this mantis just didn’t seem sure in the slightest. Did he really hold the Lords high on a pedestal? Or was he just telling himself that? Poor guy was in denial then.

Right after that, Breeze found the location she was supposed to drop the box off. Just like the mantis said, a red building with green splatters over it. It also had a very pointy roof. “Ah! Here it is!”

Breeze went up to the building and placed down the package. “That wasn’t so hard. Well, now I should really be going back.” She looked towards Livis who… Looked… heartbroken?

Did… Did he really enjoy her company that much? “C- c- c- can’t y- y- you w- w- walk b… Back…?”

Breeze shook her head. “No. I really can’t. Besides, I’m sure my time is running out here, and neither of us knows the way back.” Zip drooped even lower. “Livis…” Breeze walked closer to the mantis.

And gave him a hug.

“Have you ever had a hug before, Livy? Or a nickname? Well, I’m sure you deserve one.” The mantis couldn’t move. He was stunned. Paralyzed. Hell, the guy couldn’t even wrap his arms around her. The hug just blew his mind.

Never. Never has Livis experienced something like this. So much kindness… Just from a stranger? He felt compelled to follow her. Like she would do something if he left, despite what she said. But this??

A hug… Nobody hugged anyone in the village. It was a sign of weakness. It was extremely frowned upon, and that was how Livis was raised. Never in his life had he felt something just so… Powerful…

It was something so simple. Something so small and meaningless. But to Livis. To Livis. This was like his world being opened up. Like his life could really have a purpose to it. 

How did a ‘hug’ do all of this for him?

And just like that..

She was gone.

Livis snapped his body around to find her. “B- Breeze?” He looked in all directions and panicked a bit.

He couldn’t find her. But… Now that he thought about it. That hug left him in a daze. He couldn’t think or move for that matter. He remembered Breeze saying something… But that’s about it. Most likely, she saw him not responding and flew away. He couldn’t blame her.

He started to feel something else. A sadness. A sadness more powerful then any of the other sadnesses he’s ever felt in his life. The torture and abuse didn’t even come close to this. He wasn’t gonna see her again, was he?

Livis was never going to get out of this village. He was never gonna live a fun, happy life. He was never going to be free.

And he couldn’t stop the tears this time.

Water just started to pour down from his eyes. Livis curled up into a small ball and cried as hard as he could. He didn’t care if other bugs saw him. He didn’t care if they looked down upon him at this moment.

All he cared about was living a fun, happy life. But that was never going to happen because he’d be stuck in here for his entire life. He was never gonna be able to get out because he was too scared of what the Lords would do to him if they ever found out he left.

Livis couldn’t help but cry. More and more tears flowed down his face as he wrapped his arms around his legs and pulled them close. He was never going to leave. Ever.

He was gonna be stuck here, being hated and abused for the rest of his life. Just for something he likes doing. No. It wasn’t just that. It was a lot of things.

How he didn’t like fighting.  
How he didn’t have claws.  
How he liked to draw.  
How he was much more quieter and easily scared.

And more he couldn’t really think of right now. All Livis wanted was to be free. And be happy. But of course, he couldn’t have that.

“Livis?”

The small mantis shot his head up, expecting to see Breeze. Instead, he saw his sister. She wasn’t joking around this time. She wasn’t loud or jumping. No, she was serious. She was serious and scared.

Livis trusted her though. After all these years spent with her, he loved her. Other than his parents, his sister was the one person he could really share everything with. And even though she had it much better than he did, she didn't spend time trying to rub it in his face or make fun of him.

Instead, she understood him. She felt sorry for him and cared for him as much as she could. She had a motto, being: “My family comes first, then everything else!” And she stuck to that motto like a bee to honey. His sister really did put her family first, and then concentrated on other things.

Livis didn’t even realize that she squatted down to hug him. Another hug, and this one from someone so close… Livis tightened his arms around his sister and shoved his face into her shoulder. “There there…” He was bawling even more than before.

Thank Wyrm he had her. Thank Wyrm she didn't hate him or do anything bad. He loved her. And she loved him.

~~~~~~

“Heya, Haze! How’s the-”

“Terrible.” Breeze quickly flew back to her group of bees, now knowing her task was done and finished.

“Oh, it can’t be that-”

“These bees are some of the worst I have ever seen. Ugh, Breeze you have no idea.” Haze looked really tired. 'Poor girl was hunched over and exhausted. The circles under her eyes seemed to grow bigger than they were the last time Breeze had seen her.

“Well… I’m here to take the load off-”

“No no… I already have it all covered.” Haze leaned her head back to let out a pretty big yawn.

“Did they really exhaust you that-”

“Yes.” Well, Breeze clearly wasn’t going to make any conversation with her. She decided to take a look around. They were back where they started this whole thing, right outside the tent. The other bees were all huddled around each other, each talking in their own friend groups.

The mantises meanwhile, or the very few of them that were outside, stuck to the side of the bees. They seemed to form a circle around them, like herding lesser bugs in a pen. It was probably a protection thing, making sure none of the bees could lash out and attack the village. Though what would they gain from such an act? They could take over the village and gain more places to live in.

Man, she must’ve been really bored to be thinking of stuff like this. How much longer until-

“Hey, we’re back.” WOULD SHE PLEASE. STOP. BEING CUT OFF!?

Zip and Laplap walked next to Haze. Laplap had her claws detached and Zip was rubbing his head. Breeze could tell something had happened, though. Instantly, a smile started creeping across her face. She slowly put her hand up to her mouth.

Zip knew what she was thinking the second he saw her.

“N- no no no! I- i- it’s nothing like that!” He shoved his hands in front of him and waved them around in a panicked motion. The bee had sweat dripping down his face. Laplap looked on, confused. “I- i- it’s not what you think!”

“Suuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrreeeeeee.” That smile only grew larger and larger. Zip was really good at incriminating himself, wasn’t he? 

“What? What are you two talking about?” Haze questioned. It only took her a little bit to realize it. “Oh… OH. OOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.” Now Haze was cracking up as well. She burst out laughing and leaned forward.

A bright red blush formed on Zip’s face. “I- w- w- we didn’t d- do anything!!” The bee was shaking quite vividly. His face only grew brighter and brighter as Haze kept laughing and Breeze kept looking at him with that eye. Eventually, Zip raised his hands up to cover his face.

Awww. How adorable! Breeze was just glad to see Zip embarrassed. It wasn’t like him to get flustered, since he was usually pretty good at hiding it. Or Breeze hadn’t seen him embarrassed before. Either or, she loved it.

Poor bee needed to be flustered more often. He was so cute when he covered his bright red face like that! Breeze gave him a giggle, walking over to pat Zip on his head. She knew nothing really happened between him and Laplap, but boy was it fun to tease the hell out of him for it! 

Breeze took a quick glance towards Laplap to witness her staring down at Zip. She wasn’t angry or anything bad. Instead, Laplap looked. Interested? Or… Hungry??? Yeah, Breeze couldn’t read her face. ‘Girl was a huge mystery to them all.

In fact, now that she thought about it. Something really did happen between Laplap and Zip. Was it actually… No, that wouldn’t make sense. There’s no way Laplap would do that, and there’s no way Zip would ever let that happen in the first place.

A little bit later, their leader, main bee-whatever his name was-came out and shouted to get everyone together. Zip was still flustered as all hell and couldn’t really move. “We gotta go back. ‘Can’t get left behind now, can we?” She quickly turned around to walk back towards her leader to come home. Haze followed soon behind, and she was still laughing. Zip, however, seemed lost in his own little world. He was still blushing and still covering his face.

“Oh, are you going back already?” Laplap questioned.

“Yeah, we have’ta go back to our Hive. So this may be the last time we see each other.” Breeze looked down towards Zip. “Come on buddy, we gotta go.” And the little guy still couldn’t move. Laplap had an idea to get him moving, however. She knew she was pretty fast, fast enough to keep up with the rest of the pack.

Plus! It would get Zip moving again. So Laplap put her arms and lifted Zip up by his legs and back. Bridal style.

“L- L- LAPLAP!!!” The bug who was now in Laplap’s arms waved his arms around quite hastily, trying to break out of Laplap’s grip. But she held on hard. “L- L- LET M- M- ME GO RIGHT NOW!!!!” Laplap shook her head.

“Not until you promise me to move with the rest of the bees.” And now Breeze couldn’t hold it in. She was dying. Really, laughing was not the best thing she could’ve done. But, boy, Zip looked like a newborn bee. His face was so bright, Breeze was pretty sure you could have mistaken him for a fruit.

“I- I- I PROM- M- MISE! P- PLEASE PUT ME DOWN B- BEFORE ANYONE SEES!!!” That’s right! Breeze snapped her head around to look at the large group of bees. Thankfully, their leader’s shouting combined with the chatter between the group members hid Zip’s screams.

Ohhhh he was lucky all right. “If you say so.” Laplap put Zip down, and the bee shoved his face into his arms. Quickly, he went towards the group of bees to fly off with, ignoring Breeze, Laplap and Haze.

“That’s Zip alright…” Breeze rubbed her head. “So is this the last time we’ll see you, Laplap?” She shook her head.

“You know… I doubt it actually. I’m pretty sure I’ll see you again sometime. You and Haze. And Zip!” A joyful smile spread itself across her face. 

“Oh? What? Are Zip’s charms gettin’ to ya, Lappy?” Haze teased Laplap, poking her. Though Laplap responded back bluntly, losing that smile.

“What’s a ‘Charm’?”

“Man. You’re a lost cause.”

/\/\/\/\/\

“You okay there, Livis?”

Livis’s sister had her hand on his shoulder. “Y… Y… Yeah… I- I- I think I- I- I’m b- better now…” The two of them were still outside, but now were staring across the village.

“You scared me back there.”

“S- s- sorry…” His sister let out a sigh.

“I’m here for you Livis… I love you. You know that. If there is ever a problem, just come to me. Okay, my little brother?”

Livis gave a nod. “O- o- o- okay... “ He hugged her arm. The tears were still coming. Not as hard this time, but they were definitely still there. “I- I- I- I j- j- just w- w- want to l- l- live a g- good life...:”

“I know you do brother… Look on the bright side! Pretty soon, it’s gonna be your birthday! And I have just the present for you!” That actually put a smile on his face.

“Th… Th… Thank y- y- you….” Whatever the present was...

He was sure he was gonna cherish it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand that's chapter 5!! Finally we actually got the damn bugs to see each other. Anyways. I... Don't really think I did a good job with this chapter to be honest. To me, it seemed like it could've been written better. But. Hopefully I'll channel that energy into the later chapters. And besides! How you think the chapter was written is up to you!
> 
> I also have bad news and good news. The bad news is that Dweeb, my editor, is no longer gonna edit my chapters for me. Because she has quite a lot of stuff to do on the sidelines, and editing my story is not something she can just do right then and there. So! This is the last chapter she's doing! Once again. Here is her link to her [Twitter.](https://twitter.com/sapdsoliloquist) Please go check her out. She did an amazing job with all of these chapters, and her art is something I admire!
> 
> The good news is that since I don't have to wait for an editor. That means I can get chapters out much faster than before! So you guys don't have to wait a whole month for more story. 
> 
> I think that's all. I would like to see what you guys think of the last few chapters (^^) But you don't have to comment of course! Anyways, till next time. See ya!


	6. Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few weeks have passed since that encounter at the village. The Hive has gotten back to it's normal routine and it's people have all mostly forgotten about the transport.   
> Two bees however. Have gotten into more trouble then they would've liked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HA-HA! YOU THOUGHT I ONLY POSTED ONCE A MONTH! NOT EVEN CLOSE! MY EDITOR WAS ONLY HOLDING BACK 1% OF MY POWER!

_Buzzing._ Breeze didn’t need to go anywhere, nor did she need to do anything. The trip back to the Hive was easy enough. The group just rested at a small town called Dirtmouth. Supposedly. Ghost and Hornet live there and such. The legends that saved Hallownest or something.

Laplap sadly had to leave. She couldn’t go in the Hive because well… She’s not a bee. She’s this weird, new species that’s not even from here. Breeze noticed that Zip was a little more than disappointed when they had to leave her behind. No matter. Maybe he’s just as hungry to see the outside world as much as Breeze.

Haze said her goodbye and then walked off to her house. The three of them never saw Bumble again. But the leader did say everyone was accounted for. So she must’ve made it back safely. But Haze didn’t really seem bothered that they had to leave Laplap behind.

_Maybe she was just sick of the place outside of Hallownest? Homesick?_ Breeze cupped a hand to her chin as she was walking. Pushing her arm a little against her soft neck fur. _Chances are, that’s probably it. She did say that she quite liked the Hive a lot…_

No matter. The traveling day was done. It’s been done in fact. A few days have passed since that day. Nothing really went on in the Hive since then. The Hive got its materials from the Village. The Village has the honey the Hive gave it. _Yup… Nothing much t’do ‘round ‘er!_ Breeze cupped her hands and placed them behind her head. Leaning back as she walked forward.

She could fly. Flying was much faster in fact. But she’s been flying all week! Actually being able to finally walk without being in a rush felt great. So Breeze chose to enjoy that instead.

Hell, walking was amazing with the breeze going on! Breeze’s parents wouldn’t have named Breeze “Breeze” If they didn’t like the breeze on their body.

Breeze hasn’t been assigned anything, yet a lot of other bees were. So they were flying above her, and their wingbeats forced a small breeze to bestow on Breeze. She just liked the wind that they were indirectly giving her.

It felt nice! Since the Hive can get quite hot sometimes. Being in a place that’s glowing bright yellow twenty-four seven does not have the greatest insulation. Speaking of heat, Dirtmouth felt great. She would totally live there if she got out of this Hive. Hell! The place has a lot of things she likes!

For starters. It’s VERY quiet. There’s little to nobody there. Not that that’s a bad thing of course. From the small amount of information the bug up there gave. Most bugs live in the city. Which made sense of course. It was the city, it had a lot of opportunities for different people and a lot of different things. Much much more things to do then in Dirtmouth. Hell, who would want to live in Dirtmouth? The place was so quiet and boring. There was barely anything to do there.

Which was why Breeze wanted to live there the most. Not that she was a lazy bug, hell no! But a place that was so calming and quiet would be a very nice change of pace from her Hive. The Hive was always so loud and buzzing. Bugs were always working or doing something, ugh, there was just so much noise!

Really, it bothered Breeze more than it should. But she just wanted to be somewhere quiet. Someplace away from all the buzzing and noises. Which is why she felt so compelled to Dirtmouth. It was just so... Calming. She was sure she slept better there than any of her nights here.

The bugs up there were nice too. Apparently, again, she heard that the fabled warriors lived up there. She hoped to see them but alas, they weren’t in town at the moment. Such a shame. But the others were just as calming as the town itself. There was the greedy shopkeeper of course. His prices were way overcharged. But everyone else was really neat!

And the other shopkeeper who sold maps and pins were awesome! Her husband was out doing something sadly and Breeze _really_ wanted to get a pin as a souvenir! Who knows when she would finally be out of this place? Dirtmouth honestly would be the best place right now… With all the buzzing and moving- Wyrm. It was really. Starting to get on her nerves. If she remembered correctly… Yeah- yeah! There should be a bench nearby.

So Breeze went off to search for the thing. It was close, she knew it. The bee walked around looking for the small place to rest for the day. Soon enough. She found it. It was a small thing made of metal, in fact, it was one of the only few things made of metal in here. And despite how it could get hot in the Hive, it was quite cool to the touch.

Breeze went over to the bench and comfortably sat down. That was what a bench was used for was it not? A place of rest? She cupped her chin and rested her arm on the bench’s armrest. She thought more about her adventure throughout Hallownest, but paying much less detail. Dirtmouth was nice and she already knew why she wanted to go there. The peaks were really neat! but she didn’t get to see much of it before they had to move on. The Kingdom’s Edge was also amazing! But sadly she didn’t get to spend much time in there either, as she needed to rush to meet up with the rest of her group.

Then there was the city, then the mushroom place thing, then the village-

The village!

“Livis!”

That… That mantis did something to her. Aaaaand now it was all that she could think about. Great. She shook her head to try and rid that bug from her mind. Sadly it only hurt her brain as she moved her head around in quick succession. Breeze let out a sigh and lazily leaned into the bench.

She let her mind soar. Giving in to her brain only wanting to explore that mantis. He did something to her, she can’t deny that. For the past few weeks, most of her time has been her just thinking about the damn bug. She can’t get him off her mind!

_What is it about him that makes him stand out…?_ Breeze racked her brain. She thought about his posture. His speech. His personality, or what little she was able to see of it. Where he lives, what he said. All of it. Yet none of it seemed to ring a bell.

_Just what is it about him!? Agh! Think dammit!_ Breeze leaned forward. Resting her feet on the ground and placing her elbows on her knees. Gripping her head as she thought about why in the hell this mantis seemed to spark something for her. But no matter how hard she thought, it got her nowhere.

“Ugh. This is useless.” Breeze flumped back into the bench. Slapping her arms against the metal. She stared up into the ceiling of the Hive. It was pretty far, since they needed to make the Hive huge to fit all these bees. There were a lot of bees buzzing past her vision though. Blocking her view of the Hive.

No matter what she thought, she couldn’t get that damn mantis out of her head. It was like being held captive in a prison. Breeze closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Focusing, or at least focusing as hard as she could. She decided to change her view on the poor guy. Instead of trying to figure out why he was somehow causing her to feel things. Why not try to help him? He seemed to be in a really bad place right now.

_Let’s see… The wounds on his chest and tail looked pretty recent. I mean, I’m no surgeon of course, but I know when a scar was just added or not… They looked like he was hit by some impromptu weapon. Not a normal spear or Nail at that. Something completely different._

_Hmm… From what I can tell. There weren’t that many weapon-like things there. Everything I saw were either the wooden structures from the well… Structures there. Or the claws._

She shot her head forward.

_The claws! That’s it! Those are what’s been harming him!_

…

…

_This doesn’t help me whatsoever…_ Breeze let out another sigh as she sunk back on the bench. If someone was watching her now, they would probably think she’s crazy.

_No no no… Not the weapons you idiot. It doesn't matter about the weapons. In fact…_ She focused hard on his posture. His attitude. Breeze made a picture of what she remembered Livis looking like in her head, or at least as best as she could. _He doesn’t even look like the type to be fighting… The guy doesn’t carry anything, plus, despite being a male, he doesn’t have any claws for some reason._

_Abuse…_ The word lingered in her head. Like a jar of honey just barely out of reach, or a past regret that nothing could be done about. Breeze focused on the word. Letting out yet another sigh. _Such a terrible word… There’s a lot a pain behind it. How the hell did he survive that long being as old as he is? ‘Looks like he’s just two or three years younger than me._

_I need to somehow get him out of that village. ‘Save him from the mantises there… What would cause that amount of pain to him? Wait- he didn’t do something bad did he!? Like… Kill someone!? No- that doesn’t make sense either. If he killed someone, he would be exiled from the village. Like the other mantises because they gave in to the infection._

_Which means he’s probably forced to stay there. Escaping seems to be more of a punishment then staying… But I don’t know that. Crap I don’t know anything about mantises._

“Ugh this is all USELESS”

Proooooobably should shouldn’t of screamed that…. 

“Man… I should really go read up on that stuff… But the library won’t help either. Since most of the books they have there are outdated"

“Being STUCK in this god-forsaken HIVE SUCKS!”

_Alright Breeze that’s enough shouting. Someone might actually think you have a legitimate problem with all your yelling._

Breeze stood up from the bench and started to walk around it in circles. Cupping another hand to her chin as she thought of different strategies or methods to get that mantis out. _It’s like planning a prison break. Yeah. That’s essentially what I’m doing._

She sat back down in the bench.

_Okay soooo… That village is obviously heavily guarded just from the looks of it. From the outside, it looked like nobody was protecting the place. But I saw here and there, mantises hidden in little mushroom groves. As well as behind houses and stuff. So they must be watching everything. When’s the best time to strike then? Hmm… My guess would be around… Maybe dinnertime? Lunchtime? One of the two. The guards should be going back to a central room to go eat or some other ro-_

A young-looking bee strolled up to the bench Breeze is sitting at. They were covering the right side of their face. More specifically, their right eye. Some liquid was pouring down their hand. Scratch that- it was drowning their entire hand in said liquid. The substance acted like it needed to go to someplace, and that someplace was the bottom of the Hive.

Breeze looked up towards the bee. The guy was smaller than her, they also had a weaker physic. No neck fur either. Their face was-

**“ZIP!? WH- WHAT THE HELL!?”** She dashed right over to Zip. Using her hands to cover his right eye. She didn’t even care about the blood soaking into her fur. “W- what the hell happened!? What the **FUCK** happened Zip!? What did you do!?” Breeze shot her head around. Where!? Where was it!?

“Heh heh… I uhh… Got in a… Problem.” He smiled under all that blood.

“Fucking Wrym Zip! We gotta get you out of here!” She scanned her head around. Looking for the nearest place that she could use to get this guy some help. Sadly, no hospitals were insight. What was in sight though, was her own home. Drowned all in it’s honey goodness. “Okay Zip. Work with me here okay? We’re gonna get you to my house, but we need to walk.” 

She would lift her friend. Knowing how strong she is, but Zip doesn’t take too kindly to being held in the public. 

_You know what? Screw that! He’s about to die!_

“Actually, nevermind.” Taking her hands under Zip’s legs and back. Breeze lifted the bee up off from the ground and into the air. A scream of shock came from the bee below her. The same bee also tried his damn hardest to break out of her hold. He squirmed and shook, but he didn’t hit her. Too bad Breeze’s grip was like iron. Zip couldn’t break free. 

They already caused enough noise as they did. With Zip still in her hand, Breeze dashed off into the distance. Sprinting past some other bees who were just on their merry way. It was amazing how little attention was being brought to the two bees. Here someone was, clearly injured and possibly dying. And all the noise they made, yet not one bee bothered to check up on the two of them.

_Even more reasons why I shouldn’t be here…_

Soon enough, Breeze was right outside the front door to her house. Since there was no way for her to open it with her hand. Breeze put her foot up and kicked the door in. Breaking the lock. But she didn’t care. She would get that fixed later. What was more important was saving this guy’s life.

Running over to the kitchen, she placed Zip in a chair before running to the bathroom. She grabbed the mirror to pull it open. But thanks to all the Wyrm-damn honey that was in the way. She couldn’t really grab it. “Agh! Fine!” She made her hand into a fist and punched the mirror. Breaking it. 

She grabbed some bandages and antiseptics, once finally having a firm grip on the items. She sprinted back over to Zip, who was now looking a lot less yellow, and had even more blood falling from his eye. 

Something struck her odd about the blood. But Zip’s health was too extreme for her to care. At least not right now. No matter how obvious it was.

She took out the antiseptic and dabbed a bit on the bandage. “Okay Zip. I need you to uncover your eye for me. Okay?” In doing so, Breeze had to take a moment to step back at what she saw.

His _entire_ right eye was cut. Sliced. The whole thing was in two. Blood was sprinting down his eye. There was so much of it in fact! Too much! Hell, she couldn’t use the antiseptic due to how much blood there was, she needed to get it cleared.

Using a big wad of bandages Breeze placed it directly over his eye, soaking up must of the blood. Now she needed to move fast or else it’ll get all bloodied again. She placed the ruined bandages down and grabbed the antiseptic. Moving fast so Zip couldn’t react. She tilted his head down and poured it on the cut.

“Sorry Zip…” Wyrm that’s gonna _burn._ And it did as Zip shouted in pain. He shot his hands towards his eye, but Breeze was quicker. Grabbing his hands, she pinned them behind Zip. “I need you to not move okay? It burns sweety, I know. But you have to endure it okay? I’m really really sorry Zip!”

Wyrm she hoped the liquid didn’t go on the rest of his eye. That would ruin it for sure. She only wanted to pour it on the cut. Speaking of the cut. There was now a bright white puss foaming around in it. Now that Breeze finally got a close look at it. Wyrm it was disgusting.

There were only two skin folds that were protruding out. On the inside of those folds, she could see the muscle that all bee’s wore. Yet, all of it was black and red. The whole thing was straining just to keep afloat. She couldn’t see too much into the cut, as blood blocked the rest of it. His entire eye was painted orange. Not the usual white or black that most bees have. Or in this case white for ZIp.

Instead, the entire eye was orange. More so on where the cut is, but it fades in color the further the eye was. The eye was also in strain. She could see veins protruding from the edges of the organ. Surrounding the middle of the eye.

His eye was orange… Why? That’s not right. That’s not right at all. Bugs bleed red… Right? They always have. That’s what Breeze bled when she accidentally cut herself.

So why was the eye orange? She knew blood was going into the eye. The cut did something. But shouldn’t it be red? Speaking of blood, as she was waiting for the puss to settle. Breeze looked at her neck fur.

It was… orange.

Zip’s hand’s were too. The floor was, his fur- everything!

“What the hell…?”

It was all orange!! What kind of blood is that? Was he different in a way?

Orange blood… It didn’t help that it looked thick too, unlike regular blood. Well Breeze doesn’t know what regular blood would be. She only saw her blood and maybe a few others. She wasn’t that good in school either, and not like she didn’t know what she was doing. More like she didn’t care.

Great. This was another time where paying attention in school would actually help her. But of course, she didn’t

She can beat herself up over it later. She still needed to patch the smaller bee up. She checked the puss again. The antiseptic finally seemed to work it’s way into the wound and settle. She grabbed a small towel to wipe any other liquid that was leaking out. As well as the excess puss that was still in there. Too much was a bad thing.

She then put the towel down and grabbed a bandage. Wrapping it around his head and eye. Being mindful of his antenna. That thing was a sensitive thing. ‘Don’t need to damage that.

After a few circles. The bandage fully covered his wound and a part of his head. Zip looked a lot better now. Though his color was still off. He should get more blood in him. Strange... Orange blood.

“There…” Breeze took a few breaths. She didn’t realize how panicked she was. She pulled out a chair and sat next to Zip. Shoving her head into the table nearby. Taking as much time as she needed to calm herself down. Once she finally caught her breath, Breeze looked up at the pervert who started this whole mess.

Thankfully. Zip seemed to be in much better condition than when he ran to her. The bee was now fully awake and active. Moving his other eye more freely. “Zip… Please tell me this wasn’t because you were looking in on someone…?”

The smaller bee instantly put his hands up and waved them back and forth. Emphasizing his point. But his more surprised expression coupled with how he moved his eye caused him to wince and retract his arms to his bandaged eye. “N- no! Of course not!”

Breeze let out another breath of relief. Shoving her face back onto the table. “Then what the fuck happened?” Her voice was muffled, but it was loud enough for Zip to hear her.

“I uhh... It was girl problems.” Breeze shot her face back up.

“I thought you said-”

“I- I know!! But this was different! I- I swear I wasn’t looking in on anyone!” Breeze only squinted further.

“H- honest!!”

“You’re on thin fucking ice!” She softened her expression. “Now tell me. What the fuck did you do to cause this to happen?” Zip looked… A little scared actually. And good reason too. Breeze is never one to curse, or at least use such hard language as that. 

“I… It was my fault actually…”

“Go on…”

“Y- you remember my girlfriend right?” Breeze gave a nod.

“You never told me her name.”

“Because I didn’t remember it. Anyways. We uhh… Got into an argument over something small. She wanted me to go someplace for her, but I told her I had work to do. This set her off into a rage.”

Breeze interjected. “Really? She got mad over you not wanting to go somewhere?”

“Well… I- it was less like that actually. She wanted me to go to a store with her so she can pick out the things she wants and I buy them.”

Breeze pressed a bit farther. “She wanted you to buy stuff for her?”

“Yeah.”

“Why not use her own money?”

“She was saving it for something. She actually had a jar to show her progress.”

“Did that jar ever increase?”

Zip looked down. “U- Umm…”

“Answer me Zip.”

“N- no… I- It didn’t ever increase.” Breeze let out another breath.

“She was extorting you Zip…”

“N… No she wasn’t…”

“Yes she was.”

“B- but she didn’t a- act like it! S- she treated me nice a- and cared about me.

Breeze doubted that. “Yeah sure. She only cared about your money Zippi. Not your well-being. Finish the story and that’s more evidence.”

“O- okay…” Zip let out a breath. “A- after I told her I- I was low on cash. She got pretty pissed and started yelling at me. Hitting me as well. Of course, I told her I’ll make up for it, since working here wasn’t that hard. Geo was easy to obtain. But the thing she wanted she needed today. Or else something would happen. I tried to tell her that I simply couldn’t get any money today. Because- well one I’m off. And two payday doesn’t roll around till a while yet.

“So she started hitting me more and then she took a k- k- kni- k- kni- fe…” Zip started to shake. A lot actually. He covered both of his arms and looked down. 

“That’s when she sliced you?”

“Y- y- yeah… I- I- it h- h- hurt…” Breeze wasted no time in helping him. Standing from her chair, she walked over to Zip to give him a big hug. Thankfully she was taller than him, plus her neck fur was pretty poofy. So Zip was able to rest in it. He laid his head on her fur wrapping his arms around her back but minding her wings as well.

“Shhh… I’m here for you lovely… It’s alright.” 

Lovely...

It was such an easy word. Small and… Kinda stupid to say the least. But it meant so much to him. ‘Lovely.’ Was the first word Zip tired on Breeze as a flirt. It failed, yet the word stuck. Despite Zip moving past him not being able to “ get with “ Breeze. He still said the word from time to time. Though, eventually he stopped, but Breeze picked up the word.

Maybe the word sent him back to a time where things were a lot happier and easier? Or maybe it was just something to remind Zip that Breeze really was, always there. Always there for him. Not leaving his side.

Hm...

\-----

Zip finally calmed down. It took a bit, but he stopped shaking. She knew he was crying, but thanks to his eye, his body didn’t produce any tears. They were all focused on trying to fix that cut and not on Zip. 

“It’s not your fault alright?”

“But she-”

“No. She didn’t. She didn’t care for you, she only cared about what’s in your wallet okay? Not you. Frankly I’m glad you left her. After she pulled a stunt like this. Hell no!” Zip only continued to look down.

She stared in his direction. Eyeing up his face. He didn’t see her due to looking down. This… Bee. Pissed her off beyond belief. How dare she walk up to her closest friend and cut him!? Just like that! Not only that but taking advantage of his kindness as well! Fuck that bee!!!

She hurt Zip! She ruined his eye, ruined his feelings, hell! She might've actually gave him some trust issues now! A strong fury built up inside Breeze. She felt fire rise from her feet to her chest. Such anger. Breeze wanted nothing more than to go to that bee’s house and teach her what happens when she hurts Zip.

This was Breeze’s first mistake. She got a little lazy. And this is what happened because of it. Because she didn’t pay attention more, and she didn’t ask more. Look at what happened to Zip. He lost his right eye. No doubt about it. There was no way that thing was being repaired.

This is what happens when Breeze doesn’t watch Zip more. He loses something of great value to him. All because she didn’t look after him more. Wyrm she just wanted to kick herself for being such an idiot! But she couldn’t do that, as Zip was still here.

It was her fault… Her anger quickly subsided into sadness. There was no one to blame but herself.

_If I was only more perceptive enough… I would’ve saw this happening a mile away. I would’ve been able to save him from this. Now he lost his eye and has to walk around for the rest of his life being blind in one eye._

She took a vow. She would watch over this bee. No matter the cost.

_I’m going to protect you Zip. I’ll watch over you. This isn’t happening again. Mark my words. They aren’t going to harm you again. Not like that._

…

…

She finally broke out of her trance. Zip was still looking down. Breeze thought of something to cheer him up, so she grabbed some ingredients from a cabinet nearby. Putting them near the cutting board, she grabbed a pot and put it on the stove.

Grabbing a few other ingredients, she thought to cook something for him. She knows how much he likes a certain recipe that they don’t make as much. “Hey Zip? I have a little surprise for you.” He slowly moved his head from looking down to at Breeze. He only needed a whiff of that scent for him to start acting a bit like himself.

“I thought you stopped making those…?”

“Weeeeell today is an exception. I’m sure they can spare the ingredients.” Breeze rolled her eyes as she focused on the pot. Adding in more and more items as need be. 

“Say Breeze? Where are your parents?”

“Oh, they’re just out. They decided to have a small celebration today, and so they left to go do it. Leaving me behind.”

“And you didn’t go with them?”

“Eh. It was a ‘them’ thing. I didn’t want to get in the way of their fun, so I didn’t bother them about coming.” It didn’t take long for her to finish making a little something for Zip. It wasn’t big. Breeze poured the liquid out onto two little bowls and put the both of them in the oven.

She then got out two pieces of bread and started to make sandwiches for the both of them.

“Here, let me help with that-”

“Nah. You’re injured. So you get to rest and do nothing while I work on this. Okay? It’s just a sandwich, I know how to make one.”

“You suuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrreee?”

“That was ONE time Zip!” Zip just cackled as he leaned into his chair. Patiently waiting for Breeze to finish up her cooking. She placed the sandwiches near Zip and her spot on the table. And grabbed the bowls from the oven to pour them into a smaller container and cut them. Once the pieces were cut. she placed them next to Zip and herself.

It didn’t take long for Zip to start eating. Right before Breeze was about to place the little bowls, she saw Zip already eating the sandwich. Looking up, he put on a “Sorry…” Smile. Breeze just laughed. Putting the items down, she sat in her spot to eat with Zip.

“Ha! Wow, you can’t wait to start eating can’t you?” She gave him a teasing little poke.

“N- no… I’ve been starving for the past few days.” Breeze tilted her head.

“How so? Haven’t you’ve been eating?”

Zip nodded. “Yeah. Like all bees. But I’ve just been… Really hungry. I don’t know why”

“Alright. What have you been eating?”

“... Small stuff...:” Breeze let out another breath as she took a bite of her sandwich.

“That’s why. You’re not eating enough ya perv.” Breeze put on a smile. “Heh, what? ‘Too busy looking in at girls to eat?”

“I- It’s not like that!” Zip’s face became bright red as she sorta half-stood at Breeze. The other bee in the room however couldn’t contain her laughter as she leaned back into her chair.

“Aw… I love you you know that?”

“Yeahsureyoustupidghmhnmnble…”

“Oh. I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”

“Sure.”

“Why is your blood orange? Or do you know why it’s orange?” Zip recoiled. And just sat there confused. He wasn’t eating either.

“Why? Is there something wrong?”

Breeze nodded. “Last I remember all bugs bleed red.” Zip returned with a nod.

“Yeah. Unlike you, I actually paid attention in class. Bugs do bleed red. It’s a result of oxygen hitting our blood cells.”

“Oh… So why is yours orange?”

“I… I don’t know. I didn’t bother to ask and now I feel stupid for it. I tried looking around for answers, and I can only assume it works the same as Lifeblood does.”

“So it’s like an extra blood that can work for everyone?”

“Yeah, but I’m not sure. I would be dead otherwise if it didn’t act similar to Lifeblood.”

“Well- I don’t care what it is. As long as you are okay.” Breeze leaned in and gave Zip a kiss.

On the forehead of course!

Though, the sudden action of Breeze giving a kiss to Zip forced the smaller bug to tense up. He looked directly at Breeze before his entire face started going red, to which he proceeded to cover it with his hands. Breeze gave a laugh.

“Aahh… You’re adorable you know that?”

Zip's only response was incomprehensible noises.

“Well! You said your parents were out, right?” Zip gave a nod. “Ah. Well I’m sure they won’t mind you staying over my place.” This got the smaller be to reveal himself, the blush finally dying off.

“Wh- what? But aren’t your parents coming home?”

“Nope! Like I said, today’s a special day. So they’re gonna be gone for a bit. Plus, even if they do find out, I’m sure they won't mind that I’m having a boy over. ‘Won’t be the first time I shared a room with one.”

…

…

It took a couple seconds before the realization started to kick in on Zip. But when it did, Breeze swore his face looked just like how Laplap picked him up that one day. He stood up out of his chair to face Breeze. “N- n- No! I- But! There's! Agh!”

“Ooohh? Too excited~?”

“BREEZE!”

“Pfffff-” She cracked. Up. Falling to the floor laughing, clutching her chest at the same time. “Hahhh! Aww- you should’ve SEEN your face Zipi!”

“Okaaay I’m out of here.” The smaller bee started walking away towards the front door.

“W- wait! Heh- Zip! I- I’m serious about the sleep-over thing!” She could barely contain her laughter. It was mean, yes. But god was it so fun when she saw the blush on that bee’s face! Wyrm he was adorable!!  
Zip turned around. “Really…?”

“Yeah! S- sorry. I couldn’t help it.” Zip let out a sigh as he walked back.

\-----

Following a couple moments later, the two bees were getting ready to settle in for the night. Zip’s bed was already made, they had more food cooking, but now there were playing some board games as they waited. Namely Riches! The family-friendly game where you played as someone poor, living off of the streets of the City of Tears. But slowly make your way up the corporate ladder to become the richest bug in all of Hallownest!

“And that makes 1,000 Geo! Ha-ha! Breeze! ‘Told you you should’ve gone for the lottery! Since that event could always happen! Ha! Now I’m in the lead and you’re… B- Breeze?” The taller bee was resting her chin on her hand. Looking directly at Zip. Sizing up his features.

“Breeze? Hellooooooo?” Zip waved his hand in front of her face, which managed to knock her out of her trance.

“O- Oh! Y- you won the lottery? Awesome. Nice. cool. Great.”

“Whaaaaaatever.”

She couldn’t help it. Breeze wanted to love Zip.

That came out of nowhere.

But it was true! He was so adorable! The way he blushed, how he acts, his stupid little personality- she loved all of it! Yet… She just couldn’t make herself fall for him. But she knows she feels something for him!

She’s had a couple boyfriends before. About 3 or 4 or so. Some she has even gotten the relationship to be closer than ever. So close Breeze swore the two of them were about to get married. But… Something always happened right at the end and it forced the two of them to fall out.

Is that why she wanted to be with Zip for so long? No… No? Agh! She doesn’t know! She’s probably desperate for some romantic relationship. After being so close before, multiple times really damaged her. And Zip could turn out to be her partner!

But… No matter what she says to him. Or what she does. Breeze could never feel that same fire she felt for the other guys she dated. Which pisses her off! How come those other bees, who she’s been with for a relatively short time fueled that fire and allowed her to fall for them. But that one bee who she’s been with for her entire life has never done one thing for her!

She hates it. Here was Zip. Her childhood friend. The closest bee she ever knows. And not once has she felt a passion for him. Breeze was sure Zip felt something for her, at least for a little while. But he eventually learned that Breeze is never gonna fall for him.

She could never love love this bee. No matter what she does, she could never fall for him. Even if she flirts with him, and makes him blush, and calls him names and so on. She never once felt that same connection she once did with the other bees.

Which again. Makes. No. Wyrm. Damn. Sense!

It’s like her mind is fighting itself if it wants to love Zip or not! When he went off with Laplap and returned. Breeze knew something happened between the two of them, and a sudden fit of jealousy exploded out into her. Of course, she did her best job to hide it.

Then Laplap had to pick him up. Ugh that really got on her nerves. Which it shouldn't because how many times does she need to say it!? She never loved this bee in that romantic lighting. 

So then why does her head try it’s damn hardest to convince her otherwise!?

“AGH WYRM! FUCKINIG-”

Zip let out a whimper at her sudden shout. “O- Oh! Zip I uhh…”

“D- d- d- did I do s- something wrong…?”

“No... No you didn’t you did nothing wrong I swear. Ugh…” She placed a hand on her face and rubbed it. “Just… Give me a moment. It had nothing to do with the game, or you. Just something else.” She stood up and walked to the front door.

“A- a- alright… I- I need to think o- out a few things a- anyways…”

Walking to the door, Breeze let all of her thoughts wash over her. She needed to do something. But what could she do…?

_I need to get out of here. Soon. Real soon I’m breaking out of this place. ‘So many problems are within this Hive. I need to get out of here. Meet some new faces. See some new areas._

Breeze let out another sigh. She then walked back towards Zip just as he finished his turn. Sitting down, she continued the game. “What was that about?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“I am worrying about it.”

\-----

It was pretty late out. That was a lie, the Hive always had a bright orange-yellow glow to it. It could never be dark, yet how most bees sleep in here was to go to their room and make it as dim as possible. So most rooms don’t have windows. Breeze was an exception, she had a window as at a young age. 

Breeze covered up her room like how she usually does. Blocking the window with her closet… Covering the open areas with a blanket… Covering the door and locking it… Yup, like how it always is.

Her bed was quite comfy. It was squishy and soft, just like her pillow. But it doesn’t help that her damn bed was coated in honey because the bees who made this place were obsessed with honey. She hated it, and she knows Zip hates it more. His fur is as soft as anything, but his bed is absolutely covered in honey. Which forces his fur to become sticky and not as soft.

So he spends the first couple hours of his day, washing the honey or stickiness out of his fur. Breeze told him ‘Why don’t you just go clear the honey off of your bed?’ and he did! But his parents are stubborn as anything. They believe that the honey is good for your skin, and so, every time he clears his bed of that yellow liquid. They cover it back up again.

So he tries to avoid sleeping on his bed by sleeping on the floor, or over other bug’s houses. Breeze’s parents are stubborn like Zip’s. But at least they don’t lather her bed over and over again.

“Ahh…” Just like before, she did her best to clear it of the honey, which was a pretty good job if she does say so herself! Of course, there was a little stickiness here and there. But it was mostly really comfy.

She made a little makeshift bed below her. That was where Zip would go to rest. She hoped he would sleep well, the floor could be quite uncomfy at times. But she tried to fluff up his bed as much as possible.

Yup… It was time to enter the dream realm… Her favorite part of the day if she was honest. It was the one and only time where she was able to finally leave this HIve for someplace else. Breeze snuggled in her bed a bit more, attempting to get comfier as she drifted off…

Suddenly, she felt something. Something move and touch her back. It wasn’t hostile, nor was it threatening. It was invasive however. How dare it move into the same bed with her!?

She twisted over to look at the thing that decided to invade her space. Finding none other than Zip himself.

…

_What_

“Z- Zip…? What are you?”

“I can’t sleep…”

“So you decided to sleep where I am?”

“Y- yeah…”

“You do realize what my parents could think if they found us like this right?”

“Y- y- yeah…”

Breeze let out another sigh. His bandage was still on him, it stopped bleeding thankfully. But it was still there. “Why… Can’t you sleep?”

“I just… Can’t…”

“Scared?”

“...”

He was. It was clear. His eye darted from Breeze to the bed below the both of them. He was scared, but the question remained. What was he scared of? Was it the wound on his eye? Was it him being afraid if he could ever see out of that eye again?

Maybe it was something else… Perhaps the knife? He was shaking when he mentioned it.

She let out yet another sigh. “Come here you…” Zip made an adorable squeak of surprise as she wrapped her arms around him. Resting her head on top of his. “If you can’t sleep on the floor, then you can sleep with me.” 

“Mmmn…” Zip didn’t say a single word. He didn’t question anything. He just accepted the hug. Man… Whatever happened to him today really must’ve took a toll on his mind. Poor guy… Breeze just slowly rubbed his head.

She felt a small fire build up in her. And she knew exactly what she wanted to do. Yet she would not allow it. Not even once. That would freak him the hell out. As much as it bothered her, she suppressed it. Along with that fire, she felt something else build up as well. 

_Well… I guess this is the closest I’m ever gonna get with loving this idiot._ Stop thinking of things and close your eyes okay?

Following her own advice. Breeze snuggled into the bed further, getting more comfy. With her head resting on Zip’s head. She drifted off into the dream world just like the bee below her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that makes chapter 6. I actually liked how I wrote this chapter more than the others. But I still just feel a bit. _Eh._ About it.  
> I am slowly learning more about how to type with HTML. So now my words are _italicized!_ Yaaaay!!!  
> And bolded. That too.
> 
> Hopefully I'll get chapter 7 out soon. I still have to write it. But that's all! See ya!
> 
> _Down the rabbit hole we go._


	7. Siblings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Following the recent events of the transport. A certain mantis gets some encouragement from someone much closer than a friend

_Comfort._ It was such an alien term. So rare and foreign to hear. Livis never heard the word. That’s a lie, he’s heard it a bunch of times. But has he ever truly felt comfort? Sometimes. Here and there, far and beyond, but it was never a constant feeling. Never in his 18 years of living has Livis ever truly felt in “comfort. “

All those years of pain and fear. How could one feel comfortable in his own living space? Perhaps, he has felt it. In small amounts on rare occasions. Whenever he draws or when he’s eating with his family. Those would be times where Livis could call back too and refer as comfortable.

Sure there’s the literal meaning of the word. But that’s not what he means, nor what he wants. He wants the emotional feeling of comfort. And that is impossible, at least for Livis. How could he ever feel that way? Nowhere is safe for him. Hell, he can’t even get out of the village. Not after what the Lords said.

“You alright?”

“N- n- no…” Livis cupped his arms together. An attempt to try and protect himself from his own thoughts. It was all for naught however, as he can’t stop those thoughts from coming.

“I’m here for you….” And she was. She always was. His sister was always there, no matter where he goes, or what he does. Livis’s sister was always right there to bring him back up. If anything, she was his light. She was his light in the pure darkness that was the village. It was pretty amazing how whenever something bad happened, his sister was always there to help him.

It wasn’t until now had he realized his sister was hugging him this whole time. She’s probably the closest-if not THE closest-bug to him. They shared everything together! Hell, Livis even told her things he never spoke to his parents about. Minor things of course, since he didn’t have any secrets to hide. But those small secrets are just what drew their bond closer.

It’s been a couple days since those bees visited. Once they were gone, the Lords had everyone go back to work. The three of them scolded those who attacked the bee and the newcomer. It was obvious who did it since they were the only ones who had scars and wounds across their body. Livis however felt bad for the creatures. Perhaps they weren’t informed or were just protecting themselves. Maybe the bee attacked them and they responded in self-defense. 

Aw well. At least they were punished and not him, frankly, he shouldn’t have even been outside that day. But Raziel told him to go pick something up and place it somewhere. Why him? Why not any other mantis? Out of all the mantises who live in the Wyrm-forsaken village, why did he choose him? Was it because he was picking on him or was it something else?

Questions. Agh he keeps asking so many questions! And he’s never gonna find out the answer to any of those questions. No matter how hard he thinks of them. He can’t even ask for information due to his fear of doing something wrong! This entire village is so hell-bent on hurting him, Livis just asking one small thing could potentially cause him to lose his arm!

“Hey, Livis?” His sister spoke up. The girl that’s been with him throughout his entire life. He looked up as she took her arms off of him, staring right at her. The only people Livis could make direct eye-contact with would be his family. That’s it! Not Redd or Raziel, not even the Lords! The mantises who run this village, Livis can’t even look directly in the eye.

“Wh- wh- wh- what…?” His voice was meek. Already destroyed by the questions running free in his brain.

“Let’s head to a hot spring okay? You don’t seem like yourself and I’m worried about you.” She stood up and reached out to grab Livis’s hand. Well, she put it out for him to grab, to which Livis did. Reaching out to place his hand on hers as she lifted him on. Once standing, the female mantis led Livis to one of the hot spring locations. She knew of one that was a little hidden off. Mantises come to it, but not many know about it. So that way, the two of them could enjoy a nice bath together without the hassle of another mantis.

The walk took a bit to get there, all the while his sister kept Livis’s hand in her hold. Livis wished she would let go of his hand. It’s embarrassing walking around like this! Other bugs could think they are a couple together- and they’re not!

On the other hand. Livis was glad she kept her hold on him. It was just something that showed him that she was there nor was she letting go. Or that’s what he at least thought of. Livis was having a hard time even thinking straight, nothing happened or WAS happening today either! He was off for the day, and nobody bothered him. Yet, Livis felt even worse than how he does on normal days.

Was it to do with him having nothing to do? Maybe if he was given a task, he could distract himself so he couldn’t think of all these questions. In truth, Livis didn’t know. He had no idea.

“Brother?”

“Y- Y- YEAH?” Livis was so caught up in all of this thinking and asking, that he forgot where he was and who he was with! Hearing any voice shocked him, it forced him to revert to a word or action that he hoped wouldn’t get him in any trouble. Which would be him alert and looking at the person talking.

Fortunately. He was just getting ahead of himself.

“Heyyy. Calm down okay?” His sister wrapped her arms around Livis. Giving him yet another hug. Livis accepted any physical contact he could get, at least kind ones. His parents loved him yes, and his sister. But they were never really a touchy family, hugs were given here and there, but it wasn’t normal or given every day like other families. So stuff like this Livis relished in.

She hugged him tight, but not so tight that he couldn’t breathe. Suffice to say, it did cool him down quite a bit. He could rest once again in his sister’s arms and let all of his worries fly away. Now that she’s here, he’s protected. Nobody could hurt him. If they wanted to, they had to get past his sister first. From what he saw, she’s a pretty good fighter!

Livis closed his eyes. He lost himself in the hug between him and his sister. All he saw was black, but the black was comforting. It protected him in its limited time.

All too soon, Livis had to break the hug. They sadly couldn’t just keep standing there, arms wrapped around each other. Though, perhaps being a stature wouldn’t be so bad. “C’mon Bro. Let’s get you cleaned!” Something rare happened.

It never happens.  
Livis couldn’t remember the last time it happened.

He. _Smiled._

His sister, even if she was there meant to comfort him. Still had her joyful; playful personality. She was treating him like some sort of pet but in a fun manner. It’s insane how just from a certain way a bug speaks words, ‘can give off multiple meanings. Once again smiling, Livis cupped his two hands together and put them near his chest. Bouncing a little.

His sister let out a giggle. “You’re such a girl.” Was that bad? No. No of course not. It was his personality, it was how he acted and his family didn’t judge him for it. They didn’t force him to “ man up “ or “ get stronger. “ Instead, they just wanted a loving family with children who were kind and successful. The kind one, they passed with flying colors. But successful? Work still needs to be done.

His sister gave a little ‘come on’ motion with her hand. Signaling Livis to keep walking to reach that hot spring. But, the two of them had to go a little slower than usual. Livis still had that large cut on his leg. That cut with that huge scale sadly confined Livis. He had to limp wherever he had to go now. And due to all the walking, a normal mantis had to do during one day, Livis couldn’t even feel his legs by the end of one workday!

The spring does help however. It helps a lot. To this day, Livis has no idea how that magic water works. But he doesn’t care if he could learn it or not, that water was able to heal wounds and do things that were simply out of this kingdom. Once he stepped in, he could feel his legs again. And that calm, cool hot steamy water did wonders to his mind and soul. 

Enough fantasizing about the water. Livis shook his head and attempted to walk a bit faster.

\-----

Eventually, the two of them managed to reach the hot spring. And just as Livis had hopped, nobody was in the hot spring. They had the water all to themselves! Clapping his hands excitedly. Livis wasted no time in dipping himself in the water. Waiting no more than a second, He gently lowered his legs towards the water. Once his feet were fully submerged. He then pushed the rest of his body in said water. Going deeper and deeper as the hot liquid pushed at his entire body. Healing any wounds and flexing out his limbs.

“Aahhhh…” He just had to let out a sound of enjoyment. The spring was great, better than great actually. Livis instantly forgot all about that abuse and torment that he’s been facing for so long. As he finally gets to rest, and sit down in a hot spring which was quickly working away at healing his already battered body.

His tail which has been aching for the past couple of weeks or so finally started to end its aching. And Livis could actually feel his tail again. No more pain or agitation. He was sure he could even sleep again! And his leg. For once, it felt like a brand new limb. Not even fixed! Just a new leg was replaced the other one! It felt stronger, slimmer, better. Everything just felt better.

“You enjoying it bro?” His sister finally plopped herself into the spring. She too let out a breath as she let the warm, soft water ease into her skin. Beating away at the pains that have also been aching her body. While she didn’t have any deep injures as Livis did, the spring still did so much to her. Everything just fell apart (in a good way) for her just as much as it did for Livis.

“Yeah…” He gave a small nod. Livis was too busy being engulfed in the water to notice her speaking. It just felt too good for him… He let the water do the work. Eating away at his pain and scars as Livis just sat there. Enjoying the small waves attacking his body.

“Good. I’m glad you’re enjoying it. You deserve it after everything that you’ve been through.” His sister moved a bit closer to Livis, eventually, she wrapped her arm around him. Gently pulling Livis into a hug. “Feeling tired?”

“A- a little...:” Livis’s eyes were getting a bit droopy. Soon enough, he started to nod every now and then. Instinctively closing his eyes only to shoot them open again as he forced his head to pop up. He didn’t want to sleep, but being in the presence of his sister, plus the hot spring did so much for him. But he still had things to do! And stuff to take care of! Didn’t he…?

“Hey now… I got you Livis… You can go to sleep if you want. You’re in my arms and in a secret pool that not many bugs know about. Shhhh…” His sister started to gently rock his head in a very gentle motion. Giving Livis the impression that he was a child again, being rocked side to side just to go to sleep. And Livis couldn’t help but feel… Comforted. It was such a rare feeling, but when it came up, he couldn’t help but revel in it. Lapping up whenever it came to mind, grabbing anything that made him feel that way in that current situation.

And right now, it was sleeping on his sister.

So that’s what he did. Livis got into a comfortable position and laid on his sister. Once again, he let the water do its work as it ate away at his pain. Livis didn’t even feel anything bad right now. All he felt was that he was safe, and his sister was here to protect him. Getting one last quick look at the hot spring. Livis passed right out on top of her...

~~~~~

_“Huh…?”_

“Oh? Awake already?” Livis didn’t wake up in the hot spring. Instead, his sister was cleaning him off right next to it. “I thought you would’ve been asleep for longer.” She rubbed the back of her head.

“I- I- I guess not…” His body did feel extremely relaxed however. He could feel his leg again. No longer was it in pain. But despite all that, he couldn’t really move. That was a lie, Livis didn’t WANT to move. He felt too comfortable where he was right now. And where he was, was right on top of a towel which was on top of his sister. She never left him, did she?

“Heh. You want me to carry you home brother?” She chuckled a little bit before patting Livis on the head. As much as he would love to be carried home, he knew how that would work out for him. As well as how others would see him. Their perception would be even more warped than it already is. 

“Hey… Could w- we stay h- h- here a bit…?” His sister slowly turned to face him. But she put a bright smile on when she did. 

“Sure! I would love to spend some more time with my little brother.” No matter how many times Livis says it or thinks it even. He always just felt protected by her. The happy smiles she always wears, or hell, even her presence. There was just some aura she had that managed to calm Livis’s nerves. He let out a breath and snuggled closer to her.

Say… Something did feel a bit off… He still feels a bit tired for some reason. Which doesn’t make any sense if he was in a hotspring. The hotspring should help him, not drain him! So why does he feel so sleepy then? Maybe… Well the spring did calm him. He felt really soothed by the waters and what was in it. Perhaps that was the reason as to why he feels so tired? It was thanks to the spring…?

“Are you okay?” His sister tilted her head. 

“Y- yeah… Just… Thinking…” He needs to stop overthinking things. The spring healed him, of course he’ll feel a bit weak from it. His body has to get used to not being in the spring anymore.

“You know what that does to you Livis. Here. Can you flip on to your stomach?” His sister put her hands near Livis’s sides to help him turn.

“Why?” Despite the question, Livis agreed with her movements. Flipping onto his stomach and showing his back to her.

“I want to give you a massage while we talk! Even after the bath, you do still seem stiff. So I want to help relieve that from you.” That made sense. And Livis couldn’t help but feel a bit excited about it. He rested his arms under his head, acting like a small pillow. While his sister got in position and did her own part. Taking her hands, she gently worked on Livis’s back. Which to her surprise was even stiffer than she anticipated. Thankfully, it didn’t look as wounded as the rest of his body.

Livis meanwhile let out a sigh. He closed his eyes as he just let his body rest. Rarely ever does he get to have these moments. His sister just calmly worked away at his back. Rubbing and hitting it in all the right spaces. Since when did she learn how to massage people?

Not that he cared of course. He was just glad to share this moment with his sister. For a moment. The two of them just sat there. Only the sound of the soft paps that Livis’s sister was giving could be heard. Eventually though, His sister did break the silence by asking a question.

“So… How did you get into art?”

“I- I… I guess I d- didn’t want to f- fight like th- the other kinds… I- I saw th- the world a- as something more… Than j- just a place for us to l- live. A- and I wanted t- to convey that m- message through d- drawing… P- Pretty soon. I- I guess it j- just because apart of me. I- I started to draw n- not only to show m- mo emotions in things… B- but to also j- just draw things that I l- like…” To be honest, even he doesn’t know himself. An answer he could give would be: He saw pretty colors and wanted to control those colors. As childish as that sounds. But despite everything he’s been through, he was glad he took a liking to art. Drawing (according to him) was so much better than fighting.

“And that’s also why you haven’t gone away from it? Because you wanted to control those colors or something?”

“N- no… I wouldn’t s- say it like that. I- it’s not a power thing… A- again. I- I just think the world is beautiful. A- and that beauty n- needs to be copied onto something… I- It needs to be shown t- to the world…”

“Well that’s poetic if anything…” His sister let out a sigh. At least she knows that her brother is still lovely as always. Throughout all the abuse that he’s been given and hell he’s been through. He still decides to turn to the world of art and beauty. Well that at least shows his resilience to all the shit the village has been giving him.

His sister really needs to somehow get him out of this village. It’s hurting him way too much. How Livis even managed to survive this long is amazing. Perhaps he’s more stubborn than she originally thought. And considering everything that’s happened to him thus far? That stubbornness was a miracle.

Though… Everyone has a breaking point. Even her stubborn brother. “How come…?” He asked. Looking up to her with confused eyes. 

“Well. It just shows that you uhh… Care about the world?” Livis narrowed his eyes. Staring at his sister with a ‘yeah alright’ expression.

“Suuuree…”

“Look I can’t really put it into words.” Livis let out a sigh and laid back down. Allowing his sister to resume the massage she was performing on him. And this was just a nice bit of silence. Neither Livis nor his sister spoke a single word during that whole exchange. The only noise that could be heard was the gentle rush of the hotspring water in front of them.

But it couldn’t last of course. Sooner or later, his sister had to finish up on her massage and the two needed to head back home. As much as Livis would love to keep this going, he knows his family are quite worried about the both of them.

“Come on little bro. We gotta head back.” His sister gave him some gentle pats on his head before making an effort to stand up. But she didn’t leave Livis just laying there either. Reaching out a hand, she cupped Livis’s hand. Pulling him up to about her height. Of course, he was much smaller. Which was kind of odd since most of their family are tall. Not too tall, but enough to be noticeable.

Maybe it had to do with that Livis received different treatment from the rest of them. Since he was the resident punching bag, which was such a horrible thing to say. Livis actually stumbled a bit and nearly fell back into the hotspring. But his sister was quick to catch him. Bringing him back to standing up on two legs. Though his legs were a bit wobbly and he still relied on his sis to support him. “Heh…” He let out a little chuckle, another blush formed on his face. “I- I- I g- g- guess I- I got too c- comfy…”

“Ha! That’s okay!” His sister leaned an arm around him. “I’ll just be your support as we go back! That’s all! I’m sure the other mantises see other mantises carry their friends all the time! At least like this.” Livis’s sister always had such a happy smile. No matter where she was or what she did. His sister always made the most of it. She tried to make everyone happy excluding herself.

And that smile does go a long way. It really does mean a lot to Livis when he sees her all happy like that. He doesn’t say anything about it, which he really should. But he hopes she understands his actions at least… He knows his sister isn’t one to catch on to things. She’s a little slow… But that only adds to her character! It adds to who she is as a bug and how she acts.

Okay. That’s enough daydreaming. They should really get home.

Finally. Livis decides to attempt to correct himself next to her. Using her shoulders as support along with her assistance. Livis propped his feet up while having an arm leaning over both of her shoulders. Like how soldiers would carry their fellow comrades in the army! Well that though entertained Livis for a little as it made him chuckle.

His sister was just glad he was happy. So many days have gone by with Livis living one hell of a life. Said life being actual hell; not something a bug would want to go through. He needs a break… He needs some kind of big break away from this place. But… What kind of break can she even give him?

What can she do that can act as a break to her own brother…? Maybe… Oh! Oh she knows! It’s something she’s been feeling for a while now about her brother! Plus, his birthday is coming up soon and he’ll be old enough! This is so exciting! Sadly, it’ll be less than a break and more like a gift. But what does that matter? He needs something good to happen to him! He’s been through enough already.

Carrying Livis on one shoulder, though she put her hands on his chest to also help him with making sure he stands. He was such a fragile mantis… But despite that fragility, he was a resilient mantis! What kept him going? His sister put a hand to her chin and thought about it for a little bit. They had a bit of a walk to make before they got home so she could at least speculate.

But the only thing she could really think of that could keep him going, would be the thought of his family. She knew he loved her and their parents, they’ve done so much for him! He knows that. Perhaps he hopes to find some way to repay them for their kindness. That’s what she would do anyways.

It didn’t take long for them to finally reach their home. It was always easy to find. It does kind of stand out in itself. Which is Livis to blame, his room has a thin covering over his window which gives his room a set glow. It gave it a more… Artistic view if anything. She liked it, if Livis liked it, then she liked it. Hell, anything Livis made she loved. He always had some kind of talent for that thing.

“Here buddy… We’re home.” She brought Livis to the door and opened it for him. She made sure he got through first and then her since she was carrying him. Or should’ve she put him through the door the other way? Ah, what does it matter? Both of them are home and that’s what’s matters the most. They finally made it from their little break in the hotsping.

Pretty soon, their mother ran right up to the two. “Where were you!? I’ve been looking all morning!”

Livis’s sister spiked up. “What? I thought we told you?” She tilted her head towards her mother, and Livis did the same.

“Why are you carrying Livis? Did any of you get into fights!? Are you hurt? Do you need food? Are-”

“We’re _fine_ mom. You don’t need to worry so much…”

“Of course I need to worry! I worry about Livis a fu- Uhh… A ton okay! Come here…” She stretched out her arms to grab Livis. Which thanks to his light-weightiness, he was relatively easy to carry. And that his mother was raised as a fighter as well. So she simply just took him to the living room and rested him down on a couch. “Now. Livis, why do you look so drained?”

“He’s not drained!” His sister interjected. “We were at a hotspring mom. And we just rested there for a few minutes.”

“Minutes? _Try hours_ honey. You’ve been gone for over three!” That managed to get Livis’s attention. He perked his head up to look at his mom in an apologetic face. To which his mother replied with a deep sigh. “Look… None of you are in trouble. Wyrm knows one of you has been in enough trouble already. Just… Head to the table for dinner. It’s been sitting there for a while now.”

His sister nodded and gently guided Livis over to the table. He sat down and gave her a quiet “thanks” before turning to his own food and diving in. She would’ve joined him if she didn’t want to talk to her mother first. She watched her cute brother eat for a bit before turning away to face her mother. “Heeyyyy Mom? I wanna talk to you in private.” Their mom tilted her head in confusion at first, but later nodded and followed her daughter. She led her to a room that was a little aways from Livis. Yet the sister lowered her voice to try and not have him hear any of them. “Sooo… You know Livis’s birthday is coming up right…?”

Her mother gave a nod with a happy smile. “Of course I knew! How could I forget my own son’s birthday? I wouldn’t be a good mother if I forgot!”

“Good to hear.” The sister let out a sigh. “May I ask a request from the both of you?”

“Sure! Anything for you!”

“Can… You and dad leave the house. Once the two of you give your presents to Livis?” Now, this got the mom confused. She once again tilted her head as she looked towards her own daughter.

“Whyyyyy…?”

“I want to give him a surprise! Though… It could be quite noisy.”

“Oh? Oh, are you throwing a party for him? You know he doesn’t like parties.”

“Of course not! I’m just uhh… Gathering a few of my friends and having them all hang out here! Sure, he doesn’t have the best social skills. But I hope this will at least aid him!” It took a bit for the pieces to fall into place for her mother. But once they did, she looked up with an even bigger smile.

“Oh! Oh, now I see what you mean! Oh don’t worry. We’ll leave as soon as we can. When do you want us to come back?”

“I’ll tell you! Where should I uhh… Find you guys…?”

“Oh we should just be near the drinks place. Whatever it’s called.”

“Got it! Thanks mom!!” The sister hugged her mother with a bit of force. Causing her to struggle with her own breathing. “He’ll love this present! I swear!” Any tighter and she would’ve killed her own mother! Not that she would want too of course. She loved her way too much. She’s done so much for all of them. She really needs a break… She and her husband. Those two mantises do so much for Livis and his sister. Hell Livis needs a break. They ALL need a break!

She was getting too ahead of herself. “Oh! Uhh- - sorry Mom!” Finally, the sister let go of her own mother. Allowing her to finally breathe again. “Sorry! Sorry! I just got too excited!”

“N- no.” She took a moment to gasp for another breath. “Th- you’re okay… It just shows that you really do care about your own brother. You know. Most siblings don’t get along.”

“Well it shows that me and Livis are a special case! We understand one another and can bond in such. Desperate times.” Though… It wasn’t really her being in such a desperate time. More so it was her brother. Why couldn’t the village just accept him for who he is? Must there be some problem with mantises who don’t like to fight? She only got by because she was born with the right anatomy and she did enjoy fighting. Though, not as much as everyone else. Livis on the other hand… Man…

It does get quite tiring trying to put up with all the crap the village sends Livis his way. And then making sure to reassure him for the millionth time. But he doesn’t make an effort to take advantage of them at least. Maybe it’s because he’s been taking advantage of for so long. He doesn't want to ask anything out of fear for whoever might come after him. Poor guy… He really does need a break.

Which means her present is gonna be beautiful! She knows he’ll enjoy it! She’s been prepping it for weeks! ‘Such a shame she had to lie to her own mother though. She does have friends, but none of those would want to be friends with Livis sadly. They all have that mentality of wanting to fight other people. How did the village even get that mentality? Why was this sector so obsessed with it in the first place!?

“Hey, are you okay?” Her mother put a hand on her shoulder. 

“H- huh!? O- oh yeah! I’m fine. ‘Just overthinking things. That’s all.”

“Alright…” And her mother let out another sigh. “Just don’t think so hard. You know how bad that could be.”

“Yeah. Sorry. Now. Uhh… Where did you say my dinner was?”

“Ah. Just next to Livis!”

~~~~~

“Well what do you want me to do?”

“I- I don’t know! Something! Advice? Help? Anything!?” Currently. In his red tent stationed… Well Redd. Accompanying him in his tent was his advisor, Raziel. Who was pretty upset that Redd called him over to speak about a certain mantis he really didn’t like.

“What. You want me to tell you to go apologize to that asshole?”

“He’s not an asshole! You people are just too hard on him!”

“Our culture is built on strength. Redd. Not some wimpy art.” He stood up, pointing a claw towards Redd. “The only reason why you get such unique treatment is because you’re an aid to our society! Thanks to your color and your own strength. You boosted our hopes for evolving much more dramatically!”

“And what if I don’t wanna evolve!?” This left Raziel in a dumbfounded state. As he sat back down. 

“Are you a fucking idiot Redd? You already. ‘Evolved.’ The fact of the matter is that you’re gonna advance our culture thanks to your unique genes.”

“I’m not some kind of. Experiment or… Or…Soldier! I’m a mantis as well!”

“What!? Are you saying you don’t want to advance your own people!?”

“No! I do! But listen to yourself dammit! You’re kinda treating me like I was a genetically enhanced bug. All that happened was that I was born with a gene defect. And that caused my discoloration. Along with me being able to get stronger and so on.”

This actually made Raziel take a breath. He put a claw up to his face to hide a subtle blush that was slowly growing. Leaning back in his chair, he looked up and shut his eyes. Forcing out another sigh. This also got Redd to sit down as well. He at least knew he managed to change the situation somewhat. Perhaps he wasn’t able to change Raziel’s mentality, but-

“Okay. Maybe I was getting ahead of myself.”

Scratch that. He changed his mind. Somewhat.

“Look I’m… There’s been a lot going on recently. Regarding the bee trade, and the problems that were brought with it. Specifically that one incident with that new strange bug and two of us. Did they have to be under my command?”

“Well you do run this sector…”

“Yes yes, I know that. But… Ugh. Guess who gets all the paperwork? And has to apologize to other mantises AND the sisters!?”

“You do know those aren’t excuses… You brought those upon yourself when you took the job.”

“Yeah. And the Sisters have been so. Hellbent. On expanding their species. I don’t know what has come over them. But they have been egging me over and over to try and find some kind of advancement. Either a breakthrough in weapons, some new area to colonize, or… Well you.”

“Go on…”

“And… There’s just been a looooot…”

“So…?”

“Alright fine. I’ll help you out with the whole. Livis. Problem. ‘Doesn’t mean I’m gonna change my view on the little guy though.”

Redd looked at Raziel with a more or less, questionable stare.

“What did you want to do with him again?”

This didn’t make Redd stop staring, nor did it get him to say anything.

“...What?”

…

“Oh you’re gonna make me say it aren’t you?”

“Hey. You told me you wanted to say it more.”

“Fuck you… I’m SORRY alright?”

“There.” Redd stopped staring and wore a smile. Standing up, he went to the backroom to arrange some food. He was feeling a bit hungry and maybe Raziel was too. “Now was that so hard?”

“Screw you…”

“And to answer your previous question. I find Livis quite fascinating! Think about it. He lives in a village filled with bugs who entirely hate him. And instead of changing how he looks or what he does to satisfy them. He keeps going with what he likes!”

“Which is making shitty art pieces.”

“Which is making GOOD art pieces Raziel! There’s more to a culture than just fighting! Sooner or later we’re gonna grow out of this. And then we were gonna wish we started focusing more on stuff like drawing!” Raziel sat down at the table nearby as Redd brought over some soft drinks made out of a water stream nearby. Along with some mushrooms caked in honey. He didn’t really have much currently, but he had enough to at least feed the two of them. Redd put a plate in front of Raziel, as well as himself, opposite to Raziel.

“I see your point. But that means we’re going to have to change the whole mantis tribe on how they think and blah blah blah.” Raziel grabbed an un-honeyed part of the mushroom and bit a honeyed part. Letting out a soft purr thanks to the beautiful taste of it. “How you cook these things is beyond me Redd.”

“Heh heh. It’s an ART!”

…

“Explain to me why you want to help out Livis or make amends before I promptly kick you out of this village myself.”

“Okay okay.” Now it was Redd’s turn to start eating. _“So here’s what I’m thinking…”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY SHIT I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG. :(  
> School has been up my _ass_ for the past couple months now. Being a med student isn't easy. And it's not easy trying to learn everything in med WHILE writing a fic and trying to draw at the same time!! It kinda killed my entire drive to write, since all I've been doing would be to just sit in front of a screen all day.  
> I had a rule when writing this fic, and I decided to throw that rule away in hopes to get more chapters released! So... I apologize if this one feels a bit. Off. 'Kinda wrote the beginning of it, then there was like... A two month gap. On the bright side...
> 
> **_BROKEN MIRRORS NOW HAS A COVER PICTURE! :D_**  
>  It was drawn by my GREAT friend Vic! She really did an amazing job with it! And I really want to give her more than just her thanks! It looks beautiful and way better than I could have ever drawn it.
> 
> That's about it! Hopefully I'll be able to get the next chapter out soon. Though... Don't count on it. See you next time!


	8. Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unknown to... Well quite a lot of guards. Three bees make an effort to break out of their home, which has started to feel like a prison for far too long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: I never actually tasted honey!

_Restless._ Waking up was always the part Breeze hated the most. Because that meant it was another day of the same boring Hive she lives and breathes. Thankfully, today was actually a bit exciting. Since she does have some stuff she needed to do with Zip and Haze. So she was looking forward to that!

Speaking of Zip. He was actually doing a lot better! It’s been a couple days since he's last been here, though throughout the times she’s seen him. He’s been more of himself as of lately. Or as much of himself that Breeze knew. She was worried about him however… He still wore that bandage that she gave him. Thankfully, it’s stopped bleeding, but that still doesn’t end her worry.

Either or. She had to go see him and Haze. It’s… Been a while since she’s last seen Haze actually! It would be nice to catch up with that down-to-ground bee. How she puts up with Zip’s antics, Breeze will never know. If anything. She’s at least thankful that she and Zip are close.

Breeze popped off her bed and wished her little Mosscreep plush goodbye. She walked to the edge of her room to where her wonderful spear was. It was a normal spear, yes, but it meant something more to her. After all, she did spend her entire life with this spear! Most of her life anyways. This was the spear that she did train with. Picking it up, she inspected it a little. Running her fingers across the nicks and cracks in the weapon. She could get it fixed, but a part of her liked that it was damaged. It was like history!

She did a quick spin of her spear before putting it on her back in its little holder. Lately, she’s been carrying it around. Breeze was no longer apart of Zifa’s Royal Army anymore. So she didn’t need to carry weapons. But she always felt safer with it around. Bees aren’t normally allowed to carry weapons…? It’s weird. 

All Breeze knows is that Zifa gave her a pardon to carry hers. Since she was the best of the best. 

Sighing. Breeze then opened the door to her room and went downstairs. To see her beautiful!

Couch.

And the bee let out another sigh. Her parents haven’t been home for quite some time. Have they forgotten about her? No, that couldn’t be. They’ve raised her. Maybe they had some… Really important errands to take care of? She shrugged it off. Breeze knew they would be back. She hoped they would be back anyways. She went to a cabinet in her kitchen and grabbed a quick snack before heading out into the wild.

\------

The Hive was more active today. More bees were flying around, trying to do their daily chores. Like good little bees. That could be both a blessing and a curse. It didn’t take long for Breeze to track down a good friend of hers. “Hiya Haze!”

“Hey.” Haze was right where she said she’ll be. Right next to the side of the Busy Bee Library. ‘Had a nice ring to it! “I assume you haven’t seen Zip yet?”

“Me? I was gonna ask ya’ the same thing.” Breeze stopped flapping her wings and landed right next to Haze. Who was currently leaning against the wall of the library. It was a good thing the walls were so big and thick. 

Haze simply sighed. “He was supposed to be here about a couple minutes ago. You know. Like we planned? Where do you think he is anyways?” Breeze thought for a second. She took a hand and placed it under her chin. Letting out a “hmmm” sound.

“Maybe… Down by the local park? He did say he has a few new friends there.”

“Bah. You’re too nice on him.” Haze kicked herself from the wall. “I bet he’s looking in houses again.”

“Oh yeaaaaahh… I forgot he robs them.”

“D- Don’t say that!!” Breeze let out a happy laugh at Haze’s outburst. Haze meanwhile just gave Breeze a blank expression and waited for her to calm down. “You and I both know what he does.”

“Oh shush. I grew up with the dumbass, remember?”

“Yeah yeah… So. Where should we start?” Breeze thought for another moment. Before perking up and sticking out her index finger. She grabbed Haze’s arm and led her to on a journey.

“I know a place where Zip has quite the affinity for. It’s nothing too bad, but it's noticeable.” Haze only nodded in response and allowed her friend to guide her to where she thought that problematic bee was.

As the two were flying. The Hive was noticeably a lot less active than before. Nothing happened that Breeze knew of to garner this sudden change in activity. She knew it was nothing to worry about however. This stuff happens all the time where she lives. But it always confused her how one moment, her Hive can be bustling like there was no tomorrow. And the next, it’s quiet as if a king was coming to visit their living space.

‘Almost like the Mantis Village… Her mind was hit again with another thought, one that’s she’s been having for quite some time now. And one that causes a shiver down her spine whenever it happens. _That damn mantis… Livis. Why him? He’s everywhere! Can’t I go a single day without thinking of the damn bug? Maybe I should go see someone for this..._ Before Breeze could get another thought in however. The two arrived at their destination.

“The. The park!?”

“Yeah! I told you he would be here!” Haze gave Breeze a very confused look. Only to squint her eyes as she continued to look at the bee next to her.

“This is a joke.”

“No I’m dead serious. He really likes the local park. He takes me here all the time.”

“Huh.” Haze Sighed. “Let’s get to it then.” For the time of the day, the park was very much active. There were bees everywhere. Sitting on benches, talking, playing. Trying out new things that they learned over the years. Just normal everyday stuff.Though it was quite weird for a Hive to have a park. Sadly, just like everything else in this damned place, it was filled with honey. There were even fake honey trees! If they even saw real trees. Breeze doesn’t know.

She knows she’s seen a few in books and stuff, but that information must be ancient by now. After all, those books were carried here before the Hive was all closed up. So who knows how much time has changed! Breeze would love to know, she would love to get out of this place.

That had to wait however, she knew she would get out of this place. At least she hoped she would leave here. But the two of them needed to find Zip first. He was vital to this whole charade. He did agree to help them did he not? Though it would’ve made things a lot easier if he actually showed up in place the place they all agreed to meet! Was he doing this on purpose? Did he like them looking for them?

Whatever it was, Breeze was just trying to find something to fill her mind with as she looked for the confusing bee. She looked around crowds, quiet spots, the fake honey trees, hidden spots, nearly everywhere. And Haze did the same as well. Though, he was nowhere to be found. Surely he had to be here, at least that’s what she expected. _Come on Breeze! Think like Zip! What would I do if I was a pervy bee…_

If she was one. She would go near the changing room since bees go in there all the time to deposit their weapons or just change into new clothing to show off others or something. And sometimes, some of them go in to do something more… Unique. Why they can’t just do it at home, Breeze will never understand. Maybe they like the feeling of the risk of getting caught. That was only her guess.

There was no way Zip would be there, however. It was just the changing room. There’s nothing to hide it behind. Plus, one of the buildings is for women, the other is for males. There’s almost nothing around each building. So how could he hide-

“Oh you gotta be kiddin’ me…” Breeze facepalmed and let off quite an angry growl. Stepping towards the female's changing room, she stopped and looked around. If he wasn’t outside the room… Then… 

She stepped into the changing room of her own gender. She forgot what the rooms were officially called. But that didn’t matter to her, why would she even want to know in the first place? It would just take up extra space in her brain. Breeze walked in, taking a quick moment to find Haze. Once she was in the room, Breeze looked around. There were a couple other bees, all female of course. Somewhere talking to each other about their life or if something happened. Others were showing off their new clothing that other bees managed to weave. Breeze didn’t care about any of those. Instead. She went to one of the lockers. She knew there was one locker that nobody used. Mostly because it was very easy to open.

It was pretty much forgotten that that locker had no lock on it. But most bees didn’t mind that, since there were enough for everyone. And since everyone wanted to keep their belongings safe. Nobody uses that one locker. Which is why… “I knew it.” Breeze went to that locker, only to open it and find, who else? But Zip himself. ‘Squishing himself nice and tightly just to fit in such a small space. ‘Just to get a chance to look at other bees. Or hell, even maybe getting a chance to see an event that might happen here between two bees. 

“Eh-heh-heh… H- h- hi B- B- B- Breeze…” All it took was Zip speaking for near panic to ensure. Some bees screamed in fear and embarrassment that there was someone there watching them. Others got pretty pissed and some even went up to Breeze to hurt the little guy. Breeze reached out a hand to grab Zip’s hand, and he took it. She helped him out of that locker, before giving him a pretty hard slap!

Which managed to daze the poor guy. He’s not used to taking a force like that out of nowhere. She even managed to give him whiplash. Which of course, he kinda needed it after what he had just done. The other bees there were ready to pounce on the guy. There were more of them than there were him, and Zip by all accounts is a very weak bee! ‘Guy can’t take much of a beating.

It was a good thing Breeze was there. It was even better she knew Zip quite well. If someone else found him… Who knows what could've happened. Breeze just let out a pretty deep sigh and picked her ‘best friend’ up. Zip just gave up and allowed Breeze to take him wherever she needed him to go. Some other bees tried to get in Breeze’s way; to attack Zip more. Though she just shoved them aside and kept on walking. It wasn’t like they could even win in a fight anyway with her.

Finally, once the two were out in the park. Zip hung his head low as Breeze called over Haze. Who was starting to grow sick of looking for the little bee. 

…

“You mean he WHAT!?”

“Yup. Riiight in that locker that nobody used.” Breeze crossed her arms while she looked at both Zip and Hazed. Haze meanwhile, was pretty upset at Zip’s actions. She took a hand and aimed it right against his face, though Breeze managed to catch it out of thin air however. Haze at a look of amazement on her.

“No-no. He learned his lesson. ‘No need to get all physical with him. Plus he still has that bandage.” Which was true. Despite the number of days it’s been, Zip still wore what Breeze gave him around his eye. She was pretty sure it stopped bleeding, but she didn’t know why Zip still had the thing.

‘Not that it was a problem however. He can wear that thing for however long he wants. It wasn’t for Breeze to say to have him stop. Though she would… Actually like to see how his eye is doing. “Hm! Fine! ‘Still doesn’t mean I won’t do anything!” Haze angrily turned around and walked back towards the desired place to meet. Where they all originally planned of course, before this crap happened.

“You know Zip.” She sighed. “I wonder what I’m going to do with you.”

“You’ll send me to hotspring with a bunch of horny bees that’s what!”

…

“I’m going to kill you”

\------

It didn’t take long for the three bees to reach where they agreed to be. It was a side of a wall. Sectioned off from the rest of the Hive. Haze found it a couple days ago when deciding to look around one day. This got Breeze ecstatic. For what other bees don’t know about this wall, it was pretty weak! Compared to the main wall of the Hive. This tiny section must've been made first and never repaired. Like it was forgotten or something. 

Breeze was happy as hell to find out that a part of the Hive was much weaker than the rest of it. This could be her only chance to escape the damn place! Though the three of them had to keep the place well hidden, and they can’t really meet there often. As bees would get pretty suspicious of three bees who keep sneaking off into the corner of the Hive.’Spending a lot of time there. Then leaving during late hours. 

It’s quite interesting to note how the Hive’s time schedule works. They have a set amount of hours. 24 to be exact. 12 of the hours is considered: “Day time.” And that’s when most of the work is completed. During this “day time.” Most bees are awake, flying around, and just doing normal bee stuff. After those 12 hours, they are known as: “Sleep time.” Like the name pimples. Most bees retreat back to their homes to rest up for the day. They spend those 12 hours sleeping and getting ready for what they will be doing when they next wake up.

“Here?”

“Yeah around here.”

Zip actually hasn’t seen this wounded wall before. So all this will come as a big surprise to him. Which in Breeze’s opinion, would be cute to watch. She wanted to know his opinion when it came to that. Speaking of which… “Hey Zip?”

“Yeah?”

“Well… What do you think about leaving the Hive?”

“I told you before Breeze. I’ll join ya’ on that front. Just like you, I want to see the rest of this world. Maybe not as much as you want to. But it would be something I am interested in.” Zip takes both of his arms and puts them behind his head. Leaning on then. “What about you Haze?”

“Eh.” She shrugged. “I find this place quite comfy. Sure, there’s it’s own problems. Like with the whole, ‘musky’ and ‘tight’ feeling and such. But I think that adds to the overall experience.”

“You mean you like cramped, hot, loud spaces?” Breeze interjected.

“N- no. That’s not what I meant. Like… Uhh… The Hive gives off this. Feeling of comfort. Like… Sleeping! Like sleeping in a way. Since whenever you sleep, you enter this world of… Whatever your brain thinks of actually.” Breeze puts a hand to her chin before giving a brief nod.

“Yeah, I see what ya’ mean don’t worry.” Breeze once she was finally done putting a hand to her chin. She gave a quick scratch of her head, having her little hair tuff be pushed back a little before flinging itself forward. “Ya’ like how everything is right now. As ya’ said. It’s comfy for you. Or something” And just as Breeze finishes saying that they reach the more broken piece of the Hive. “Ah! Here we are!”

The small breach was… Pretty small. Barely big enough for even Breeze to break through. But with enough perseverance, she was sure she could fit in there. Along with the others. “You mean, we have to crawl through THAT!?” Zip pointed a hand out towards the broken area. “Can’t we like… Expand it a little?”

For once, Haze was actually on board with this idea. Sure they could all fit, but it would take a while and it would be pretty painful. She second the idea and asked Breeze the same question. (Even though it was Haze who found the broken piece.) Breeze shook her head though, “Nah. I don’t think so. If it’s bigger, that means it’s more noticeable. Plus, other bugs could sneak in and cause harm to the Hive and thus, lock us out. And the more we damage the walls, the more the damage could spread to the rest of the walls. Therefore, the guards will find this little, ‘entrance.’ Sooo… I don’t think we should really make it bigger.”

“Really? Even if it’s just an inch?”

“Even if it’s just an inch, Zip.”

“Curse you and your army background…” While the two were bickering, Haze looked around for some tools that she had stacked away hidden there. “Ah! There they are!” Finally finding them, she picked up a couple hammers and chisels along with some other tools and handed them to two of her friends. Who gladly took the tools and went to work. Er. They were about to go to work, if Breeze didn’t teach them the right way to break down the wall.

Even if she was still in the Hive and they may never leave it. Breeze was still taught how to break down certain walls in case she was ever trapped. With and without tools. So. All she did was tell them to work away at the very edges of the ‘broken’ area. Speaking of the piece they were cutting down. Unlike the rest of the HIve (which was all yellow.) This was the only place that was actually brown in color. And it was like a disgusting brown. Very mushy, not sticky at all. It even has a smell that didn’t fit so right. But Breeze put those aside. The excitement from finally leaving this place was really getting to her. Finally! Finally! After waiting for so many years, she could finally get to explore outside this damn Hive!

She was getting ahead of herself though. “You uhh… Good there Breeze?” While Breeze was stuck in her own little world, thinking of what her life would be like out of this Hive. Haze managed to break her out of her own trance by talking to her. While Breeze nearly punched the shit out of her, she was glad Haze broke her out of it.

…

…

“Sooo… What… Are you guys thinking of doing once we leave?” It’s been a while since the three were working on this piece. As it turns out, the Hive’s walls are pretty thick. And even if it’s a weakened area, it still has quite the tough skin. So they all kept hammering away. Making progress slowly. But they were getting there! Zip was having fun with the sledgehammer. They had a system in play. Breeze and Haze would spend a little time hammering away at the edges of the wall. Getting it weakened and floppy, or at least as floppy as they could make it. Before Zip came in with the sledgehammer and smacked it as hard as he could. If they were lucky, he would manage to break through the layer and cause a hole. Which allowed the three of them to reach in and tear it apart.

The three of them thought they would make Breeze the sledge-user. But to both of their surprise, Zip was making quick work of the layer. It would only take about seven or ten swings before they managed to break through or the layer just flopped down. This confused Haze and really confused Breeze. The latter thought she was pretty powerful in of herself. Breeze was… A little jealous of Zip.

“I don’t know. ‘Probably find a place to eat or something.” Haze answered Zip’s question while chiseling at the wall. Zip meanwhile just stood leaning on the sledgehammer. “We did find places where there was new food that we haven’t ever tasted.”

“You mean to tell me. The second you escape this place, the first thing you will ever do. Isn’t exploring to your heart's content. It isn’t talking to as many bugs as you can to find out their species or how they move around in their lives. But.” Breeze paused to breathe a little. How was Zip able to keep hitting this wall like it was nothing? Even her arms were getting tired, and she was top of her class in the royal army! “To go to a damn restaurant and order some food?” 

“Yup! I heard they had some pretty good stuff when we explored the City. Something about like… Fried. Oomoos or something. I- I don’t know.” Breeze just scoffed. She turned around to face Zip only to find him a bit wide-eyed and staring at something on Breeze. Curiously, she called out to him. “Hey Zip? You good there buddy?” Zip just shook his head and answered back.

“Y- yeah. Sorry…”

“Zip if you don’t like my spear, you can always just ask and I’ll put it somewhere where you can’t see it.”

“No you don’t need to do that! I- I’m fine with it being where it is!”

“If you say so…”

…

“What are you planning on doing Zip?” This time, Haze dropped the question. Breeze gave the signal for Zip to start whacking away. And whacking away he did. Putting on a goofy smile, he picked up his sledgehammer and swung it against the Hive’s wall. Making a sizable dent in its structure. To which Breeze and Haze gladly tore down to see. Another layer. Sighing, both went back to work.

“Ah, I don’t know. ‘Might find a quiet place to settle down. The Hive is too loud for me. Even during sleep hours, those bees just never shut up.”

“You mean you won't also peak in on girls?”

“And I’ll peak in on girls dressing and hanging out in the hotspri- wha- HEY!” The two female bees laughed as a bright red blush formed on Zip’s face. Breeze playfully hit his leg. “Y- you know damn well I won’t try such a thing!”

“Sure Zip.” Haze spoke. “Sure ya won’t.” A bit of time passed and they managed to break down another layer. Haze spoke up again. “You know. I’m not gonna lie. I’m a bit excited to break through this with you guys. I may not share your enthusiasm with leaving the Hive. But I would like to explore the world outside for a little. Staying in one place for far too long is always a bad thing.” Zip nodded.

“I agree. Hell, if it wasn’t for you Haze, me and Breeze wouldn’t be working on this wall right now.”

“Yeah. And I’m glad I met you people too. As much as I uhh… Don’t really show it. I do care about both of you. Even you Zip.” 

“Aw, don’t get all touchy with me Haze.” Breeze spoke up. Blushing a little at her statement.

“I’m not getting touchy, I’m getting feely! What, I can’t tell you guys how much I care ‘bout ya’? Man. I shouldn’t have said anything in the first place.” Haze shrugged. “Can’t have shit in Hallownest.”

That last line made Zip laugh, and it got a good chuckle out of Breeze! “I’m serious though. You guys are awesome. And this… Kinda means a lot to me you know? I mean. We’re breaking out of our _Hive!_ We’re going against something that’s been set in tradition for such a long time. So of course this kinda means a lot.”

Breeze gave a nod to Zip, who brandished his new weapon of mass destruction and whacked against the layer again. Managing to cut another hole through the wall for Breeze and Haze to rip down. They’ve done quite the amount of work against this Hive. There was a sizable sorta, small half-cave now. “‘Looks like we’re almost done.”

“Okay, Imma actually be honest with the both of you.” Zip leaned on the sledgehammer again. “I… Actually want to explore the rest of this place with the both of you. Sappy yeah I know- shut up. But it's true! Like Haze said, I care about both of you.” After a little bit, both Haze and Zip stared at Breeze. Who was calmly working on the wall before she noticed the two of them.

“What?”

…

“Oh hell no. You think I’m going to say that I ‘care about you guys’ and ‘want to do this’ with you. Ya’ got it wrong. I ain’t gonna say anything like that.”

…

“Stop staring at me.”

…

“Come oooonnnn Breeze~” Zip poked his best friend.

“Fiiine. If only to get you two working again.” Letting out a noise of glee. Zip sat down next to Haze with a very excited expression, along with Haze. “I hate the both of you you know that?

“Okay look. I care about the both of you and- uh Zip…?” Breeze pointed to his right eye. “Your… Bandage came off.”

“Oh it did?” Zip felt around for that wad of white cloth and sure enough, it wasn’t there. He looked around for it, the bandage was where he was leaning on the sledgehammer before while he was standing. It might’ve come off while he was swinging the thing.

“Really? Let me se- _oh._ ” There was a clean, orange line running through his right eye. Which of course, was where the knife sliced. It being orange however baffled both Breeze and Haze. “Hey Zip? You can’t see out of that eye can you?”

Testing out that theory. Zip shut his left eye and looked around with his right one. “I actually can…?” Haze held up a couple fingers, no instructions were given as Zip started counting them off with his wounded eye.

“That’s… That doesn’t seem right. How can you get sliced across your eye, yet still see clear as day?” Haze questioned.

“I- I don’t know.” He shrugged. “Maybe the cut wasn’t deep enough…?” Breeze shook her head.

“No, no that doesn’t seem right. There was blood everywhere. ‘Had a hard time getting the bandages to stay on you. Hell I needed a lot, you know how much! You’ve seen my panic!”

“Hm…” Zip gave a nod as he tried to rack his brain for possible answers. But before he could come to any conclusion. Haze was the first to come to an answer. One that’s not really an answer, but it was good to mention nonetheless.

“Well I say we stop questioning it. Zip has his eye back, and he can see just fine out of it. ‘No need to try and get to the bottom of it. I think it’s one of those things you just don’t ask and accept.”

“She has a point.” This time, Haze gave the signal for Zip to start smacking away. And he yet again, picked up his sledgehammer and began to wail against the wall.

“I don’t know Haze…” Breeze cupped a hand to her chin. She looked at Haze with quite the worried expression. “It just. Doesn’t feel right to me.”

“Oh it’s just an eye. It’s not like he’s growing back an entire arm or something.”

“Hey guys?” Haze and Breeze pointed their attention to Zip. Who was looking at his hammer. The two followed the hammer’s length to confirm what both of them were thinking. And sure enough, the hammer was through the wall of the Hive. Without wasting another minute. Breeze hopped next to the broken wall and ripped the hammer out of it. Tearing down the Hive’s wall with such desperation it almost looks like she was captured and trying to break free. It didn’t take long for her to fully take it down, a small hole was revealed. A straight tiny tunnel from the inside of the Hive to the outside. And Breeze climbed through it as quick as she could.

Once she hit the other side, she was too amazed and filled with wonder to realize that she was indeed falling. But unlike last time, she managed to catch herself mid-flight. Just like before, below her rested a bunch of very angry bugs. Who were all hungry and ready to accept Breeze as their new meal. She wasn’t going to give it to them however, she’s smarter than that.

“Zip! Haze! Come check this out! W- we’re through!!” By the time the two other bees crawled through the hole, Breeze was already flying in circles around the space. Holding a bright expression and just flying around in sporadic wingbeats. “Look at this! A black wall! ‘Darker wall! Not black! But it’s not yellow! Ooo! And this!!” She just kept pointing to multiple different substances outside the Hive. Each time she got more and more excited.

“I honestly thought it looked better than this.” Haze wasn’t as amazed, but she still had a curious look on her. While Zip was just engrossed with wonder. Unlike Breeze (who was constantly flying to multiple things like a child at a candy store.) Zip was carefully inspecting each and every surface. Touching it, looking at it, tasting a bit… Actually no, that tastes disgusting. He very quickly spat some stuff out.

For a moment. The three flew around the entrance outside of the Hive. Looking at everything that was around them. There was only about… Six or eight different things of note. But to Breeze, that might as well have two-thousand. She just kept going from spot to spot. Looking and touching everything. It was like the first time she was outside the Hive, except now, she actually gets to explore her surroundings. And then that thought reminded her that there were much more places than just the one outside the Hive. There was the city, the other city that was like a rundown down, the place filled with crystal, the village-

The village!! Suddenly, Breeze stopped everything she was doing. Her mind attacked her with the thought of one very certain mantis. One she was having a hard time getting out of her head. What was his deal? More like, what was _her_ deal. Maybe… Maybe she’ll try to see him again? It's been a while, and she was sure he would like some kind of visitor. And there was that other bug too! What was her name again…? Laplap? I could try to find her too!

Her trail of thoughts was broken by Haze shouting at the two of them. Both Zip and Haze returned to where their other friend was. Which was by the hole the three of them dug out. “Hey uhh… I actually just remembered I needed to get going.”

“What!? Why!?” Breeze nearly shouted back.

“My uhh… Parents are gonna be worried. I said that I was hanging out with a few friends, yes, but I did say I would be back soon…” Ah. Well. Shit. That kinda ruined their whole fun. 

Zip added on to Haze needing to go as well. “Yeah. Actually. Haze can I come with you? You still haven’t introduced me to your parents yet. Nor have I seen your house.”

“Oh hell no. You know damn well I live with four of my sisters. There is no way I’m going to-”

“You promised!”

“Fiiiine.”

“Woo!”

One by one. Each bee crawled back through the hole and found some loose Wax that they dug up. Covering the hole as best as they could, both from the outside and inside. The three walked away from their work. The Hive was now even less active. It was Sleeping Hours after all. Fewer bees were out, and young adults like them really should be inside sleeping. Unless they have a reason to be out of course. “Say guys?” Haze and Zip turned around to see Breeze. “I got a plan.

“Let’s rest up for a few days. Along with gathering a few materials. Let's say… About a week. Yeah. A week. How about we spend that week prepping for the eventual day where we run from the damn place, and explore what Hallownest really has to offer. Sound good?”

“I’ll only be out for a little. Parents ‘n all. But, I’ll love to join you too. I won’t really bring that much though. “

“Hell yeah! I’d love to come along with! I’ll just say I’m sleeping at a friend's house for a few days. They won’t really mind.” Zip gave a shrug as Breeze nodded yet again.

“Then that settles it. ‘Round here, ‘same time?”

“Yup.”

“Sure.”

“Fantastic! Well, I won’t hold you guys up anymore. Imma just make sure I have everything before I go. See ya!”

And like that. Zip and Haze gave their own goodbyes before walking off to Haze’s house. Breeze made sure she still had that spear of hers. Though… When Zip and Haze weren’t looking, she swiped up Zip’s bandage that fell. Storing it in her neck fluff. It was a good thing that thing was so big. She can fit all kinds of stuff in there! As they all walked their separate directions. Breeze still couldn’t get that damn mantis out of her head. She walked on thinking about that green figure, along with her excitement of finally getting to see the rest of this underground.

…

…

"So about your sisters Haze..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The real plan here was for Zip to get in a house full of girls.  
> So I'm very glad I managed to get a chapter out faster today! :D I don't know when the other will be up however. Since the holidays are coming up soon, and school has been killing me lately... But I aim to hopefully achieve it!
> 
> 'Not much more to say here. 'Can't really think of any. What I _can_ say however. Is that I'm currently working on another story along with this! So that might come out soon. It's gonna be shorter than this chapter-wise. But I'm pretty excited to get it out. (^^)
> 
> Till next time! See ya!


	9. Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day has finally hit. And Livis according to the mantis culture, has hit the age of an adult. Like normal families, they decide to reward him for making it that far with gifts! His sister has something else in plan however...

_Sitting._ What more else could he do? Today was already pretty slow, though he should be more excited than usual. Livis sighed as he rose out of bed. Today was a big day. It was an important day, a very important day. It was his birthday after all! Which in of itself is already a pretty big day. Today, he would reach the age of 20. And according to mantis culture in the village. 20 is where a young mantis fully matures and becomes a full-grown adult. Hooray!

But Livis… Actually on the other hand. Livis decided that today wasn’t going to be another day filled with hell and pain. Instead, today was going to be a fun-filled day! One with lots of cheers and fun! It was his birthday. The one day where it’s all about him and no one else. Which, made him feel pretty good. Today was the day he was important. That made him smile a little, and that smile made him smile more! Livis only just woke up, and he was feeling pretty great! Such a stark contrast to yesterday. But even then, yesterday wasn’t too bad either. It was just about him and his sister after all. Messing about and… Well, mostly her cooing him. But that was okay! He was okay with that. Everything was gonna be okay. It is his birthday after all.

Livis stood and walked to the mirror in his room. He’s actually the only one who has an item. Since Livis does like to practice self-portraits or bug-anatomy every once in a while. That’s a lie, Livis actually has a lot more sketches of himself then he would care to admit. Bug-anatomy is harder than it looks! Hell even drawing himself is quite the challenge. Why do mantises have such big tails? He didn’t believe why they had such things, nor did he believe that other bugs had bigger tails than him. How could there be? What purpose do such big tails even give to bugs? What is the concept of tails? Why do they even exist?

Livis made himself laugh after that. It was fun to overspeculate about things! He was already in a really good mood. He didn’t even think anything could stop him! Smiling at the mirror, he walked over to grab a pencil and perform a quick sketch. Though, that’s when he noticed something about the mirror. Was there a crack? On closer inspection, there was! It was a small crack, but still noticeable to the sharp eye. But it didn’t bother Livis all too much. It was just a crack after all. Nothing too big. He ignored it and attempted a quick sketch of something. Taking a moment to think, he sat down and decided to get his smaller claws working. Drawing… Something. He didn’t really know what to draw, more or less, he just let his mind wander with whatever drawing to make.

In about 20 minutes, Livis finished the sketch and was a bit curious as to what he drew. It looked familiar… Soft body. Two thin beam things coming out of their head. Big tail, enough to store something. Large circular wings. He didn’t color it, but he imagined the body being that of yellow and having black or brown stripes. Wyrm the name of the species was at the tip of his tongue. But he couldn’t remember it for the life of him. Livis did know however that looking at this simple sketch brought him some good amount of joy. What was it about this simple drawing of something creature he couldn’t even remember the name of that brought him so much feeling? He sat there, staring at it. Thinking.

For the life of him, he still couldn’t remember it. What he did remember though, was speaking to that one bug during that transfer of supplies. She was… Really… Kind to him. Something about her just… Really made him think.

Livis quickly shook his head though. She didn’t really matter. As much as she was kind to him and he loved that from her. He needed to focus. On having fun of course! Nothing is going to hurt him today. It’s just going to be filled with fun and joy and all the stuff he really wants to feel again. It was his birthday after all. Standing up, he put the pencil back in its holder and left his sketch as it is. He didn’t want to put it away or destroy it. Because one, he would never destroy an art piece of something that he drew. And two… Well he could come back to this and attempt to remember what he drew. Which is gonna be pretty hard he thinks.

Nevertheless. He needed to head downstairs. As much as he would love to spend the entire day inside his room drawing. He can’t do that. ‘Such a shame that chores exist. He once again looked into his mirror to look at that crack. It didn’t look like it got bigger, and Livis really just wanted to remind himself how bad it was. Which it wasn’t that bad thankfully. He rubbed it a little before heading out of his room and downstairs.

In which his lovely parents greeted him with a very tight hug. Both of them too! Livis had quite the trouble breathing thanks to the hug. But it was worth it. He loved the hug between all of them. It was his family after all! Yet another smile was drawn on his face. “Morning Livis!” His mother was the first to speak. As she always is. His father on the other hand was strangely more quiet than her. Sure he spoke, but it was kinda rare. He more or less spoke in terms of body language.

“Happy birthday our little wonder!” Livis always thought that it was weird to hear his dad’s voice. Unlike most fathers he’s ran into. His dad always had a higher-pitched voice. Strange. But it’s nothing that he doesn’t like. Livis has a high voice for being his age and being a boy. Ah, what does it matter? It really didn’t. He loved his family. They were pretty much the only people who took good care of him.

After maybe shedding a few very quiet tears. The hug finally ended. “Okay now, how old are you again?” His mother put a hand to her chin as she looked up. “It’s been a while.”

“Mom! How could you forget!?”

“Exactly! How could I forget?” His mother stuck out her tongue for a little bit before rubbing the top of Livis’s head. “You’re 20 Livis. A full-grown adult now.”

“Maybe bugs will start to actually respect you now! They have to give you a chance. It was a rule put in by the Lords.” His father rubbed the back of his head as he put out a hand. But he did have a point. The Mantis Lords did say back then that every mantis has to contribute in some way or another. So at some point. Bugs had to start to, at the very least, rely on him with certain things. He already was beginning to see that with bugs trusting him with carrying different supplies. But now, maybe things will be more serious!

Livis looked around. For some strange reason… He didn’t see his sister. Where was she? Knowing how she acts, he expected her to be the _first_ one to hug him! She loved him and cared for him greatly. So to see her missing greatly confused him. Was there something wrong? Was she hurt in some way? Nah. He doubted it. She was just fine a couple days ago. How could she be injured? Oh! Oh maybe she’s planning a surprise for him! Oh that shot all the butterflies in his stomach. His sister could be planning a big surprise for him and he’ll never know about it! That would surely make the day a hell of a lot better! In which it was already going so well!

“Are you looking for someone Livis?” His mom questioned him and with good reason. He nodded his head and asked her where his sister was. To which she just giggle and patted his head. “Well! Maybe you’ll soon find out. Why don’t you come with us and we’ll show you your gifts!” While Livis was pretty disappointed in hearing that his sister for some reason wasn’t there. He was excited as all hell to hear that they have gifts for him! Gifts! Who doesn’t love gifts? The mantis tribe that’s who. Smiling like the biggest dumbass in the world. Livis followed his mother and father into a different room of the house. One more near the entrance of the building. There, Livis could see a bunch of items stacked up. There weren’t that many, but that didn’t matter to him. Only the act spoke measures that he could only dream of speaking.

And so Livis went through a good portion of the day just… Opening gifts. He couldn’t remember the last time he smiled so profoundly. Or laughed even! While this day was of course his favorite to ever exist. It also reminded him of the hell he goes through every year. And how much he hates this village. Still, he tries to make the most of it. And his parents really help him get through the year. Most of the gifts that he opened were just simple stuff that he’s been asking for a while. But he could never get himself. Things like new pencils, paintbrushes, different sculpture tools, some candy. Ice skates…? Where the hell did that come from? Upon opening it, his mother looked at them and laughed. Rubbing a hand behind her head as some sweat poured down. “Ah- ha ha… U- uh… I guess I must’ve wrapped the wrong thing! Heh… Hehe…”

Does Hallownest even support ice rinks? He knows it’s too hot in the Fungle Wastes to ice skate. There’s acid for crying out loud! But nevertheless. Livis very much appreciated the thought and hugged his mother as thanks for the gift. Even if he couldn’t use it, he could still put it up somewhere. He did ask her what she meant by buying the wrong thing. And his mother said she asked for a friend to get her something, but they accidentally got the shoes. And it was already wrapped and everything.

“But… Wh- what d- d- did you g- get me b- before the shoes…?” 

“Thaaat’ll have to wait Livis! I can’t tell you what you’re getting for your birthday.” She tapped his nose and giggled. The father just smiled as he watched the two have their fun. He took the ice skates and put them somewhere out of place so Livis could open more gifts. All was fun and joyful. Livis was having the time of his life! His parents were there for him, everyone was smiling and laughing, this. This is what he wanted out of life. This is what he cared for the most. Just some happy times around is family and nothing more. Something did feel off though. Like someone should be here who currently isn’t, and that is his sister. Where did she go? A good chunk of time has passed and she still hasn’t shown up. Livis wasn’t worried, but the curiosity was killing him. What did she have planned for him that he didn’t know about?

Once all the gifts were done. The three went to the kitchen and grabbed one of Hallownest’s finest delicacies. A stuffed Ooma filled with a mix between Lifeblood, some sweets and spices. All encased in a delicious cake-like substance. According to his mother, finding this was actually quite the challenge. Since this cake is so well-liked amongst many bugs, finding one proved to be difficult. As they all sold out the second they got a new batch in. Add on the fact that it takes one Ooma for each cake. Aaaand you start to have a dwindling Ooma population. So they had to hold off on making them for a while. But! His mother managed to score the last cake before they sold out. Lucky her!

They had some spare candles lying around. And through some difficulty. Managed to light them on the cake and sing the dreaded song. Well… For Livis it was much less “dreaded.” And more “anticipated.” To others, the song might embarrass them in front of whoever is hearing it. But to Livis, it was music to his ears. After all. He only hears this song once a year! Er- four times a year. Counting himself, his sister, mother, and father. Still. It was the only type of music he ever hears in years. Music isn’t banned in the village per se… But it is looked down upon. Too many bugs rather focus on fighting and attacking each other rather than explore the fine arts of the world.

Why was he here again? Oh yeah. Because he felt like he owed the Lords for allowing him to live here. Suddenly that ideology was becoming less and less believable now. Perhaps he should just. Sneak away… Maybe not. Livis shook his head. He was still indicative about it. Aw well! He can think about it some other time. Now was the time to have fun and enjoy the day! It is all about him after all. So why should he waste time thinking about whether or not he should leave the village? He just needs to have fun today, that’s all that matters.

Once the song was done, Livis took a knife and made the first slice. That is what mantises do for birthdays after all! Once that was done, his parents happily clapped and the three went to enjoy some delicious jellyfish together. If it even was jellyfish… Nonetheless. The three exchanged some words together as all of them smiled greatly. Some time passed, as his parents managed to finish up their slice of the Ooma while Livis was still eating. He was always a slow eater. Livis liked to savor the food more! When it was good. If it didn’t taste too good, he ate quickly. That’s how his mother knew what he liked and didn’t like. Livis always wondered why some foods he ate quickly, he almost didn't see them again.

“Hm? Oh, it must be the time.” Livis heard a gentle knock on the door as he perked his head up to his mother. Finishing that bite, he spoke. 

“What t- time…?” Was there a surprise for him? Another one? Or did his parents have to go somewhere? Thoughts and questions floated around in his head as his mom stood up. Guiding her husband along with her as well.

“Oh you’ll see Livis! Your sister has something planned for you. Though she needs us gone for her to show-” Livis’s father cut her off.

“Shh! Don’t tell him! It’s called a surprise for a reason! Even she didn’t tell us what it was.”

“Oh yes yes you’re right. See you soon Livis! Have fun!” The three of them hugged each other one more time as Livis sat in the kitchen with his slice of the Ooma. He heard the door open and some words being spoken through it. But afterwards, it closed and he was left in silence for a bit. Barely anytime has passed before the door opened up again with his sister coming through wearing a large smile. She clearly was happy, and if she was happy, so was Livis. The young mantis immediately stood up from his chair and ran towards his sister. Squeezing her tight in a big hug. Or as big as he could make it.

“Ah- H- hey there bro. Happy Birthday!” 

“Sis!! You w- weren’t here f- for the whole day! Wh- where were you?”

“Oh you know. Just out. Getting some things for you.”

“F- for me!?”

“Of course! How could I forget my sibling's day of birth? I know life has been especially hard on you. So I made sure to, well make sure that I had everything.” She lifted up a bag that seemed to be a bit heavy. What did she get him? There were only so many items in Hallownest that Livis liked and/or wanted. What did she buy for him? The curiosity was killing him. He reached up to grab the bag, only for his sister to raise it further. “Nu uh uh. Not yet! We have to prepare for a couple things first.”

“Prepare? H- how?”

“Well first I want to know what you got! And to taste the cake.” So the two of them sat down at the kitchen table with Livis describing to her what he got for his birthday like an excited six-year-old child who just got locked in a candy store. He repeatedly went back in forth between the living room and the kitchen to show her each and every item their parents managed to get for him. All in which his sister paid close attention while making sure to keep that bag close. Along with eating her meal. Once Livis was done telling her everything, they spoke about the day. But she questioned Livis why he doesn’t hang out with Redd anymore.

“I… S- some stuff h- happened… He… H- he b- betrayed me…”

“Oh no that’s horrible! Do you want to talk about it?”

“N- no… Not really.”

“Aww Livis…” She reached over and squeezed his arm. “I’m sorry for bringing it up. How about to change the subject I… Show you what’s in this bag!”

“Really!?” And Livis perked up from that. Sparkles flying in his eyes as his sister only laughed. She patted him once she was done eating her piece of the jellyfish. To which she took her plate and threw it in the trash. She then guided Livis up the stairs and to her room where Livis can finally peer inside that bag of hers. She issued Livis to sit on the edge of her bed while she placed the bag next to it. And Livis obeyed of course. Wanting to know what was in such a small container.

“Now. Close your eyes okay? And just listen to the sounds of my voice…” Livis did what he was told and his sister moved behind him. There was enough room on the edge of the bed for her to sit behind him. She started to… Sing. Actually. She knew music was Livis’s weak spot. So much emotion can only be felt through the power of song. Words can only take a bug so far before they need to resort to another means to get their message across. And song was one of those means. And a means that Livis loved indefinitely. He relaxed and leaned back against his sister. Letting her full access to his body. It was only here that Livis noticed she was giving him a massage. Like the one she gave him over in the hotspring, only now it was more personal. Since the two were alone in a room.

His sister danced her claws across his back. Feeling all the scratches and scars that accumulated over the years. She squeezed some parts, and others she only just tapped. The further she went down the better it felt… She knew to be careful around his tail. The thing was bruised and uncolored. The green was replaced by some black and brown in areas. Thanks to the efforts of other mantises who hated him. Taking extra caution and continuing her song. She squeezed those parts too. Gently of course. Livis winced out a couple sounds of pain, but never anything too painful. He was enjoying this just as much as she was.

Once she was done with his tail, however. She moved further down his body to his waist. Massaging that area longer than the other areas before moving down to his legs. Of course, she couldn’t do too much since she would have to move her placement on the bed. But she did the best she could. Once that was done, she slowly moved her claws back up his body and up at his waist again. Her singing got quieter. More focused. And closer to his ear. She leaned closer to his body as her smaller claws moved from his waist to the front of his body. Between his legs…

The second Livis felt that he knew something was wrong. Instantly, he jumped up and paced a couple steps back. Looking to his sister who held her smaller claws up in surprise. “Wh- what was-”

“Sorry!! I’m sorry! I uh. Got a bit carried away! Eh heh heh…” She patted the place where Livis sat, telling him to sit there again. Livis however, decided to stand there and watch her for a few minutes. “I used to do the same thing to my boyfriend all the time. You know, the one I talked about back then?”

“Th- the one who you c- couldn’t get with?”

“Yeah! I think! I don’t know. Anyways. I managed too well. Bond. With him. We got _preeeetty_ close. Aaaand there were a few times where I massaged him. Since I was so good at it.” Sparkles appeared around her face as she took pride in her words. “One thing led to another and… Well we uh. Yeah. So, I’m sorry for doing that to you. It won’t happen again, I promise!”

“O- okay… I believe you.” Forgiving her, he walked back to the spot she patted and sat there like she told him. And she once again massaged him. Only this time she didn’t delve any effort into singing. Livis thought he heard some rustling, but put it off. She was probably moving the bed to get in a better position. She danced her claws across his body once more. This time, massaging some parts which were in the front of his body. Like last time however, she moved farther down to massage those areas. Which Livis thought was normal, it did feel great before. Unlike last time however, she didn’t choose to move her claws up his tail. Instead, she went straight for his hips, and soon to his leg which Livis thought was a bit strange, but thought nothing of it.

Soon however, she went straight to his hips and down to his crotch again. Like last time, Livis jumped right up and tried to turn around. Though, something stopped him. Or more or less changed his direction. There felt like something was around his legs. Tightening them together, he looked down to find something tied around the both of them! Since he tried to walk and never expected something like this. Livis obviously fell and hit right on the ground. Quickly, he tried to roll over to try and see what was behind him. Low and behold, his sister was on top of him in a matter of seconds. Instantly, fear struck Livis. This reminded him too much of other instances with other mantises. Just what the hell was she thinking!?

“Heyyy Livis~? Remember how I told you about that one boy who was really shy and adorable…?” To Livis. Some glass just shattered. A very sharp chill went up his spine. Well, less like a chill, and more like a white-hot feeling. Fear engulfed him fully, he couldn’t move even if he wanted too. He knew his sister was stronger.

Maybe… Maybe she was joking! Yeah! Maybe this was all a joke? With a very creaky and broken voice, Livis attempted to speak back. “S- s- sis…? Th- th- this i- i- is a j- joke r- r- right?”

She shook her head. Much to Livis’s hatred. “Nope. I love you bro. More than you would expect~ And I couldn’t tell this to anyone for obvious reasons~”

“L- l- let me g- g- go!!”

“Oh don’t struggle my brother~” His sister took a hand and rubbed it down his face. Livis just stared and started to breathe quite heavily. This had to be a dream. This just HAD to be… “It’s your birthday! This was the. ‘Gift.’ That was in the present Livis~ I’m about to show you an experience not many had the joy to go through.”

“N- No!! L- Let me go!! Please!!!”

Disregarding his words. His sister took her claws and pressed them against his own. Fully stopping Livis from any movement he was previously in control of. She bent down and pressed her mouth on his. Making sweet noises as she clearly enjoyed this. Livis on the other hand was gagging that he felt her mouth. He wanted to throw up, he wanted to get out of here! He still didn’t believe what he was seeing. His sister. The person he loved the most out of everyone. The bug who helped him. The only bug who was with him ever since the start. 

“Delicious~ I didn’t know you tasted so good Livis.”

“L- L- LET ME GO! I DON’T WANT TO BE HERE!!! PLEASE!”

Livis’s cries fell on deaf ears. His sister clearly didn’t stop. In fact, she saw his cries as an act. She thought he was lying about all of this and was really enjoying it. After all, how could he resist? She knows this was never going to happen to him in the first place, so she thought it upon herself to give Livis her treatment. “You’re gonna be my first-time Livis. I hope you know that~” She did love him though. If it wasn’t for them being related. She would’ve loved to marry him. But sadly, that wasn’t the case. It could never happen no matter how hard she tried.  
So she devised up a plan. One to truly make the both of them alone. While their parents were off thinking their daughter was doing one thing to Livis, she was actually doing something completely different. Either way, she was helping Livis. His pleas were obviously fake. Of course they were, he was just scared about having his first time be taken from him. She doesn’t blame him! She’s a bit nervous as well. Slowly, she began to move back and forth on top of his crotch. Feeling a small bump start to rise. “Oh? Is that you? Are you excited for me Livis~?” Once again, she took a hand and gently rubbed it down the side of his face.

“Please… S- stop…” And just like that. Livis gave up fighting. What more could he do? Nothing. All his life he’s been treated as some punching bag. Something for bugs to let their stress out on. He was never a person in the first place. He wasn’t strong enough to push her off, screaming for help did nothing as no one would ever want to step foot in their household. What could he do besides cry…?

And cry he did. Tears were flowing down from his eyes like a dam breaking open with oceans full of water. He couldn’t even hear his sister anymore, she was saying something like him being sensitive? He didn’t know. He didn’t want to know. Why was she even doing this? Out of love? What love arrives from doing this to her own brother? Livis felt betrayed. His whole life he thought she was one to stand next to him. He thought she supported and loved him from day one. Now he knows the truth however. Just like everyone else before him, he was a mere toy to be used until they were satisfied. 

Livis just wanted it to stop. He didn’t want this anymore. He pleaded and begged for her to get off of him. For all this to just end. To go back to the birthday. And none of it got through to her. She just kept going with her delusions. “Oh? Have you stopped moving? Well that’s okay~. I’m about to take you into a world filled with a feeling you have never felt before Livis~ I love you.” Livis hated this. He hated all of this. He wanted it to stop. He wanted it to just STOP.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND THAT MARKS THE END OF LIVIS TORTURE  
> For now at least.  
> This was the chapter I was kinda anticipating up too. Originally, I was planning to go into full detail about what Livis' sister was going to do to him. Buuuut I decided against that since... Well that just seems too wrong.  
> Now! We can get to move on to happier stuff! Hopefully!

**Author's Note:**

> Now, to be honest. I don't quite like how I wrote this first chapter. I never really written anything before, so maybe that's why this chapter rubs me the wrong way. But I do hope I get better later on. 
> 
> I do want to thank my editor though. They helped a lot through this. And they took their sweet time as well... No rush of course! https://twitter.com/sapdsoliloquist I do hope this link works... But they're Sapdsoliloquist or Dweeble on Twitter. They helped a lot with this and I want to thank them.
> 
> That's... Yeah, I think that's it. Comments, bookmarks and the rest are always appreciated! See you next chapter.


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